My First
by Munkii
Summary: Yui had always been oblivious to romance, but now that high school has ended she finds herself being thrust into the strange world of relationships, ready or not. Yuri.
1. Prologue

It was a bit chilly; winter seemed to have drifted in cold and fast this year. Leaves had been shed already, and the bare branches of deciduous trees could be found wherever one went. Even the palm trees on campus were a little meek looking, their fronds having turned a little darker in preparation for the coming winter, for perhaps the coming snow. Just yesterday it had been pleasant, and today... Certainly it wasn't that far from freezing. It was only December and already winter's grasp gripped the region.

"I'll have to make some tea for Onee-chan, she's probably cold too," Ui said to herself quietly, adjusting her favorite scarf around her neck. The bitter wind coming from the northwest was managing to chill her ears, and lacking any warm knitted hat, the scarf was her best defense. Fortunately she was only a few minutes from home, and soon she would be warming up under the kotatsu, or standing in front of a pan on the stove. "I haven't even thought about dinner yet. Maybe something warm? I'm sure a nice pot of mizutaki would be good. Onee-chan would like that, too. I haven't made it in awhile."

Noticing the street light was red, Ui came to a stop at the intersection and peered around until her eyes came to rest on the little tea shop she had been fond of since she was young. For as long as she could remember it always had a pleasant aroma, one that could be smelled from even half a block away on a clear day. The double wooden doors were still painted the tranquil dark green that Ui remembered from long ago. Through the windows one could see row after row of canisters along the wall, and a collection of small tables towards the front of the store where one could sit and enjoy a pleasant cup of tea.

"_You know, I think we're running out of sencha. It wouldn't hurt to buy some," _Ui thought to herself, pulling out a small notebook from her coat pocket. It was particularly cute, colored a soft purple and decorated with flourishes and playing kittens. Ui couldn't help but smile as she opened the notebook; at her request Yui had bought it for her only a few months ago. She tended to go through notebooks quickly, especially so when their parents were away.

Peering through the small pages, each bearing small and very legible letters, Ui smiled. _"The budget for this month is still pretty flexible, though I imagine we will have a Christmas party so I can't spend too much on odds and ends. But tea is kind of a requirement in the winter, so I definitely should buy some."_

The traffic light turned green, and Ui tucked the notebook back away in her pocket. She crossed the street and made her way to the entrance of the tea house. Even with cold weather sniffles she could smell the aromas of the wonderful tea wafting through the cracks of the entrance way. She pushed open the door to the sound of a jingling bell and stepped towards the specials displayed just ahead on a small table. "Oh they have this great pekoe combination again! At this time of the year too, that is pretty amazing."

Peering up from the display, Ui noticed the sales attendant was missing. "Oh, in the backroom maybe?" Ui walked over to the main counter of the establishment and looked towards the far end of the store to find that a light was on in the somewhat mysterious storeroom. The bells of the front door jingled again behind her, and Ui glanced to find a familiar face approaching her.

"Oh, Nodoka-senpai. Good afternoon," Ui called softly, smiling. Nodoka smiled back and made her way up to Ui.

"Ah, Ui-chan. I didn't expect to see you here," Nodoka replied genuinely. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to buy some sencha for Onee-chan, but I noticed that pekoe on the display table and thought that maybe I should get a little bit of that too. Have you ever tried it before?" Ui replied, politely turning her body to face Nodoka.

"Not yet, I've heard about it though. Perhaps I will have that today," Nodoka said, and she looked behind Ui to find the attendant making her way back to the counter. "Ah, Ui-chan, do you want a cup as well? You aren't in a rush, are you?"

"Not really, I just have to be home in time to start dinner. Onee-chan said she will be home by 6 o'clock, and with this weather I was hoping to have everything done by then. It's so cold, isn't it? I was thinking of making a nice hot pot meal."

"I imagine we have enough time then," Nodoka replied simply as she pondered Ui's reply, and she turned to face the attendant. "Two cups of your pekoe special, please."

"Oh, you don't have to, Nodoka-senpai. I should be buying for you. You take care of Onee-chan while she's at school after all," Ui began sweetly, and she fished around in her pockets for her wallet. Nodoka set a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"It's on me today. Since you started attending the same school, you seem to look after her more than I ever could. Besides, I wanted to ask your opinion of something anyways," Nodoka reached into her pocket to find a couple small bills and set it them on the counter. "I'm sure you're aware that everyone is graduating soon. The years have gone by fast."

Ui nodded, looking at Nodoka with an expression of curiosity on her face. Nodoka rarely had anything to talk to her about besides the trouble that her sister got into, however even that had been minimal lately. Yui had become a bit more mature over the course of the last year, Ui believed. Even considering that she would happily praise her sister in front of others for doing nothing at all... Yui had certainly grown up a little. It was something to be proud of.

"Here you are, thank you Nodoka-san," The shop attendant said after returning with two hot cups of tea. "Staying warm I hope."

"Yes, thank you," Nodoka replied casually, taking her tea from the counter, "Ui-chan, let's go have a seat."

There was no one in the cafe, which was strange considering the fact that it was such a cold day outside. Certainly there were city residents with cold fingers and frozen lips that could use a good cup of hot tea. Of course, people would be at home too, enjoying the comforts of a nice tea with the added bonus of their family and a warm blanket. Ui instinctively took her cellphone out of her coat pocket and checked the time.

"You're a good sister, Ui-chan. You're the most punctual person I know, in fact," Nodoka said easily, sipping her tea carefully as she watched the younger girl undo her scarf. It was curious how unassuming Ui appeared to be. How innocent and pure she came across as. Nodoka of course knew better then to think of Ui as simply a cute high schooler, however. She knew better than to gauge Ui as a normal teenage girl with a normal teenage life. Ui was much more than that, more complex than she came across as, and Nodoka knew it well. She had watched the younger girl grow up, after all.

"I have to do my best for Onee-chan. She counts on me, especially when our parents are gone on trips," Ui replied, sipping her own tea after taking a seat. She fidgeted slightly as she undid the upper buttons of her coat.

"I'm glad she has you. Yui is the kind of girl that needs someone to operate smoothly," Nodoka explained, lifting her cup to her mouth again as she glanced out the windows of the tea house. "In her own way, she does her best for you, too."

"Onee-chan definitely has her own way of doing things. Considering how many afternoons you spent with her, you would know that best. Though, those days have kind of faded away since high school started, haven't they?" Ui reminisced thoughtfully, watching on as Nodoka sighed. The older girl turned her attention back to the table.

"I won't be able to keep an eye on her after the school year ends. Everyone is going their different ways," Nodoka said dimly, looking down at the table and the warm cup in her hands. Ui could sense a trace of remorse in Nodoka's voice, and looked down at her cup as well, feeling slightly embarrassed that Nodoka was upset over parting with her sister. Everyone certainly loved Yui, but Nodoka had known her longer than most.

"You aren't going to the same school she's going to?" Ui started, scratching the side of her cup idly with a finger. Several moments slipped by in silence before she looked up to Nodoka. "Of all people, I'd of thought you would want to follow Yui to college. You've been together with her since childhood."

"Well, that's true. I'm not saying that I won't miss her, but I think it might be better for us. She needs to take some responsibility for her life. For the people in her life," Nodoka swirled the contents of her cup, the tea of which she had really barely touched thus far. "Besides, you're following her through college, aren't you?"

Ui gazed at Nodoka for a brief moment, then replied hesitantly, "I haven't really told anyone that. Not even Onee-chan. Why do you ask?"

Nodoka smirked slightly and sighed, habitually taking another sip of her tea and letting the idle seconds drone on. She had expected Ui's answer, and so perhaps the reply had been a relief. She swirled her tea around again, then set the cup down so she could adjust her glasses.

"I guess I'm not really asking, just confirming. I suppose I couldn't live with myself if I knew that Yui was going to a strange campus with no guarantee of kinship or a close friend," Nodoka explained slowly. She took another sip of tea and continued, "But also, when it comes to Yui... Everyone seems to have a habit of wanting to protect her, or be with her, or cherish her. I kind of feel like that there is a time for everything, and college is not that time. Maybe junior high, possibly high school. But not college."

"You're important to her, you know," Ui interjected with a hint of dismay, her cup coming to a rest on the table suddenly. "It's selfish to go to a different school than her just because you think she doesn't need you, or shouldn't need you. Because you think that somehow it is better for her."

"If I went to the same college as her, Ui-chan, you'd be there too wouldn't you? Don't you think that is suffocating her? Don't you think she deserves some space?" Nodoka asked, her tone one of persistent inquiry. "And you're going to be there, aren't you? Even if by some chance of wisdom I am right about this, and we are all just suffocating her, you'll still be there, won't you?"

"Absolutely."

...o.o.o.o...

_**This is the prologue for a new K-ON! fiction titled: My First**_

_**My First is coming August 3rd!**_ Chapters will be released every Tuesday concurrently with Hidamari Sketch: Sunshine.

**Know When This Storyline is Continued!** Add me to your favorite author or author alert list. You will also be able to track updates and releases for other fandoms. _I also post updates in my profile._

**Beta: **Kuchibiru


	2. Chapter 1

A pale winter light shone through the windows of the club room, only slightly overpowering the overhead fluorescent tubes. It was cloudy outside, though not incredibly dark. The day was the third in a row in which it had been overcast, yet incredibly no rain had fallen. Even so, it felt like it had been raining an entire week. Ever since the graduation ceremony, a dismal feeling had settled over the school campus like an impenetrable veil.

It was time to move on, to grow up. High school had been a lot of fun and many good memories had been made, but now the last great pillar of childhood adventures was over. The last institution of education where one could still be a complete kid and skip classes without fear of harsh retribution was fading away quickly, fading with the last nuances of childish freedom as they passed speedily along. The last three years of high school were like a collection of blurry photographs.

"I guess Ton-chan is going to stay with Azunyan," Yui said aloud as she peered into the aquarium. The friendly turtle floated over to the glass and gazed back at Yui with a familiar cute expression. Yui gazed back with her best turtle gazing face. "You've grown a little bit over winter break, haven't you? Everyone probably felt bad for you and gave you extra food."

Remembering that she was on a mission to find a few volumes of manga she had left by accident, Yui opened the door to the small bookcase upon which the aquarium rested. The shelves were rather bare, save for the small books she was looking for. Apparently she was the last one to clear out the remainder of her belongings, but she could have figured that would be the case. Between studying for her finals and selecting a college to attend, she had managed to talk her way out of cleaning the club room almost entirely.

It was depressing to be in the club room anyways. Every time she had seen the room as of late, she had felt like she was always saying goodbye. Every time she saw one of her friends, she felt like it might be the last time she saw them. Their last practice session together in the club room, while fun, felt like it would be the last practice and so carried with it a rather ominous feeling. Truth be told, it had been the last. The absolute last.

Yui was quite fortunate to even get in the club room today, let alone the campus. She had snuck past the security office and made her way up the stairs to the room by sneaking around. The door had been left unlocked by Ritsu, thankfully. There weren't many students allowed on campus right now, but certainly graduate students were even less permissible. She could have used the excuse that she was feeding Ton, but of course that wouldn't have been as much fun. She would have had to wear a goofy badge anyways.

"Ah, I didn't know _Magical Melody Vixen _Volume 3 was here! I've been looking for this!" Yui exclaimed happily as she shuffled through her lost collection of manga. "I must have read it like four times already though. I guess this is staying at home while I am at school."

Closing the door, Yui stood up and made her way to the desks the club had brought together to form a table. Tea time would be sorely missed, but she would not miss it quite as much as her friends. Mio and Ritsu and their constant bickering, Tsumugi and her cakes, and Azusa... Azusa with her cute face and cuddly body. Yui sighed, pulling out a chair from the assortment of desks and taking a seat. Setting her books on the table, she heard the door to the club room open, and she looked up.

"Ah, Nodoka-chan!" Yui said excitedly, waving to her long time friend in an animated way that seemed to perfectly fit her personality. "You didn't happen to bring tea and cakes did you?"

"Oh, I didn't realize you were on campus Yui. Most students aren't allowed right now." Nodoka replied, making her way to the desks and peering over at the club's turtle. "Ton-chan is doing okay, I hope."

"Yup, I've been keeping her company!"

"You should have told the security office you were going to be up here, you know," Nodoka scolded lightly as she turned her attention back to Yui. Under her gaze, the young guitarist shuffled her feet slightly and looked at the desk.

"How did you know?" Yui started, involving her fingers in what was now a whole body fidgeting. "It's not like they talk to you or anything."

"I am still the Student Body President until the first day of the new school year, of course they talk with me," Nodoka replied simply, sighing and pulling out a chair. Sitting down, she set her notebook on the desk in front of her, letting a ball point pen slip from her hand to easily roll a few inches away. "They almost have me doing rounds here, you know. If I didn't know you and saw you wandering the hallways I would have had to send you off myself. As it is I'm sure we'll be leaving campus together today."

Yui fidgeted more under Nodoka's gaze, looking cute and innocent as best as she could. Nodoka laughed, and adjusted her glasses.

"Yui."

"Nodoka-chan," Yui answered in the same tone as Nodoka, looking up at the dark haired girl with an expression of mock seriousness.

"You came here for your manga, didn't you?" Nodoka asked, leaning back into the chair slightly. "You snuck into school for a couple volumes of manga. Somehow I expected as such."

"I wanted to see the club room one more time too..." Yui explained, glancing down at the desks and letting her fingers draw circles on them. "It'll be sad, not being able to be here again, you know."

"I know. Everyone is going their separate ways too, aren't they?" Nodoka glanced furtively to the cabinets on the wall opposite of her to notice that Tsumugi's tea sets were gone. The club had managed to clean up the room pretty well, which was surprising considering Ritsu's lack of organization as self-proclaimed club president. "Of course, you already know I am going to a National institution."

"What am I going to do, Nodoka-chan?" Yui exclaimed sadly as her hands flew into the air unnecessarily. "You've always looked after me! And, and, and... You've protected me from trouble because you're the Student Body President! And... You made sure I went to a good college even though I don't know what I'm studying yet!"

"That's what friends are for, right?" Nodoka replied dimly, looking back into Yui's eyes searchingly. "You'll be alone at college, right? I don't think that you mentioned anyone was following you. You even have a studio to yourself, right?"

"Yea, I guess that's how it worked out..." Yui looked glumly back to Nodoka, and several seconds passed before she continued her previous loud rhetoric. "No one likes me! I'm all alone, Nodoka-chan! Deserted on an island with a delicious looking turtle!"

"It's not really like that, Yui," Nodoka replied calmly, bringing her hands together on the desk. "You just have to make some new friends, and it's not like all of us are going to disappear. You'll have Ui-chan too, won't you? Oh, and weren't you dating someone?"

"Yes, Ui will be visiting! She promised to come visit me even though it's over an hour away by train. It's really like two hours. Ui is so nice to me! And..." Yui's eyes grew wide as her brain processed the next part of what Nodoka had said. "Dating?"

"Yea, aren't you dating someone? Like most high school girls?" Nodoka watched Yui closely, reaching for her runaway pen absentmindedly. Yui's expression went blank for several moments.

"Why would I be dating someone? I don't even know anything about that stuff anyways. No one has asked me," Yui replied uninterestedly, turning her attention back to Ton. The turtle lulled about in the temperature-controlled waters of the tank. "Besides, I'm going to be far away in college. They'll never catch me alive!"

Nodoka sighed again, tilting her head back to look at the patternless ceiling with a troubled expression. Yui of course didn't see it, though even if she had been looking at Nodoka directly, she might not have seen it anyways. At this, Nodoka smiled wryly to herself.

"That's kind of hard to believe. I'd thought for sure someone would ask you out before the end of the semester."

Fidgeting slightly, Yui looked blankly at Nodoka.

"Yeah, well," Yui replied again, picking up a manga and flipping through the pages idly, "I'm not exactly looking. I'm not particularly lonely."

Nodoka was quick to realize that Yui had just contradicted herself, but said nothing. When she so wished to be disenfranchised with a subject, Yui had the kind of personality that deflected simple logic with nonsense. The best one could do for Yui when she was at this point was to offer her some sage advice and hope she remembered it later. However, in the dark moments when Yui needed such advice, she would forget the advice completely and instead remember the person that gave it to her. Forgoing her remembering even that, Yui would run to her younger sister for help.

Thankfully Ui was dependable.

"How's Ui-chan? I haven't seen her for awhile," Nodoka asked, and Yui lit up at the change of subject.

"Ui is great! She's so excited for me about college! We are going to move my things down to the studio together pretty soon, it's kind of going to be an adventure," Yui began, wiggling in her chair happily. "You haven't seen what my place looks like, you will have to come see it one day!"

"Of course," Nodoka replied, "But where are your parents? Shouldn't they be helping with this too?"

"Well, you see..." Yui looked down at her hands again. It wasn't really a subject that was embarrassing to talk about, but certainly people looked strangely at her when she mentioned how independent her and her sister were at home. Nodoka of course was aware of her family situation, but Yui still liked to act cute. "They are on a trip this entire month in France."

"I guess that's to be expected, they normally take a trip around this time of year don't they?"

"Yup! It was like... 'Okay you two, be good. Ui, we put money in your account for the move, food and for transportation, and then a bit extra for anything else you might need.'," Yui narrated. "And they gave Ui money to come visit me whenever she wants!" Yui threw her arms up in the air with a smile. "It's great, isn't it?"

Nodoka grimaced slightly, though Yui was again oblivious to her expression.

"You should really be taking care of some of this stuff on your own, Yui," Nodoka reprimanded, but her remarks bounced right off of Yui's smile and headed straight into a bottomless void of forgotten logic. Sighing, she added, "You're not going to listen to me. I'm glad you have Ui-chan. Just start planning for the day when you aren't going to have such a wonderful sister around."

"But that's impossible!" Yui replied suddenly and with vehemence. "Ui and I will always be together!"

"What happens when she wants to start a family?" Nodoka asked, the volume of her voice rising slightly.

"What?" Yui replied dumbly, looking blankly back at Nodoka with an expression that clearly conveyed she didn't understand. "I am her family!"

"What happens when Ui-chan isn't yours anymore? Who are you going to turn to?"

"But that's impossible!" Yui replied again suddenly. "Ui and I will always be together!"

"Right right, okay Yui." Certainly Yui didn't understand again. Nodoka sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall to find it was nearly five in the afternoon. "Well..."

"Oh! My cell phone!" Yui fished through her pockets for the small device, procuring it quickly and bringing it up so she could see. "Oh, Ui sent me a message! Hmm... 'Come home for dinner' Is it that late already? I promised I would be home at a decent time."

"This is kind of amazing in a weird way," Nodoka commented, standing up from her chair and glancing back to Yui. "I guess it's time to go."

"Yup!" Yui said, taking her books in one hand and replying to her sister's text message as she stood up from the desk. "'Be home soon!' Sent!"

"This is probably the last time you'll see this room, at least for awhile, Yui," Nodoka mentioned gently.

"It'll be okay. I'll come and visit Ui and Azunyan!" Yui pushed in her chair and proceeded towards the main door. "Hey, Nodoka-chan, do you want to come over for dinner?"

It was funny to think how quickly Yui switched gears. Reminiscing over her time in the light music club, missing her friends, moving on in life, feeling alone... Troubles seemed to fade so fast in Yui's mind. Nodoka knew better than to think that Yui had just forgotten them, however. Nodoka smiled faintly and glanced at her cellphone needlessly, considering the proposal. "I think I will pass tonight, Yui. Thank you, though."

"Aww, okay..."

It wasn't long before Yui and Nodoka had descended the stairwells and made their way to the school entrance. Nodoka checked out with the security office and walked with Yui to the gates of the campus. Nodoka would be back bright and early in the morning to organize the Student Body financial records for final review, but Yui wouldn't. This was probably it for Yui. There wouldn't even be a trip to see Ton, the responsibility of the turtle had actually been laid on Sawako's shoulders for the duration of the break.

"Hey, Yui," Nodoka started.

"What is it?" Yui stopped and turned around with a wondering look. They would be parting ways soon as Nodoka's residence was in the opposite direction.

"I'm going to miss... this school, and everyone, you know," Nodoka said softly, looking away from Yui and instead at the generally shapeless and gray stratocumulus clouds above. Before she had time to react, Yui had embraced her in warm a hug, burying her soft cheek into Nodoka's shoulder.

How Yui managed to be so adorable, so lovable, Nodoka could only wonder. She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl with a bittersweet glimmer in her eyes. She didn't know when she would have the opportunity to hold Yui again, but perhaps it was a waste of energy to be overly upset about it. Going to a different school was ultimately her choice, after all.

"It'll be okay, Nodoka-chan. I'm going to miss you too, but it'll be okay," Yui replied sweetly before stepping back from Nodoka with pleasant smile. "Maybe I'll see you before I leave."

Nodoka gazed at Yui as she contemplated her words and recent affection. Her lips turned up into a fitting smile for her crimson tinged cheeks, and she placed a hand on Yui's shoulder.

"That would be nice, Yui."

...o.o.o.o...

_**My First: Chapter 2**__ is scheduled for August 10th._

_Please note that this chapter was released a week early due to schedule limitations._

_**Hungry for more? **_This story is being released concurrently with Hidamari Sketch: Sunshine!

**Know When This Storyline is Continued!** Add me to your favorite author or author alert list. You will also be able to track updates and releases for other fandoms. _I also post updates in my profile._

**Beta: **Kuchibiru


	3. Chapter 2

It wasn't the most gorgeous afternoon, but it wasn't bad either. Winter's grasp seemed to be fading, albeit slowly. The sun peeked out from behind a puffy gray cloud, and a chilly wind blew through nearly barren branches. Small birds occasionally flew through the sky, anxiously peering for a lucky meal after a sparse winter. Spring was on its way, but the magical transition from winter had only just begun.

Azusa returned her gaze from the window in her bedroom to the sheet music in front of her, and the eventless day droned on. It had been a week since the light music club had last convened. A week since her seniors had graduated. She had managed to keep in touch with them, but it wasn't the same. Before it had been easy-going and there had not been so much care for the responsibilities of college and implied adulthood. Before the light music club could enjoy a mellow afternoon in the club room, enjoying a nice cup of tea and a rather tasty slice of cake. They would make music together sometimes: Creating joy from instruments in only the way that After School Tea Time could. But of course, the reality of that life had changed. The cake was gone and it was time to grow up.

"You're stupid to think that sitting here will make everything better," Azusa said to herself, her vision focused past the page of music. She had learned little of it over the course of the last couple hours. It was easier to stare past the paper to the dull gray couch cushions behind the music instead.

Try as she might, Azusa had not been able to accomplish much that day. Even the mundane household chores, something which she had normally excelled at, had been completed with mediocrity. Her lackluster enthusiasm had been embodied in the cleaning: Traces of dust on the china cabinet, dirt in the corners of the kitchen floor, streaks on the bathroom mirror. Azusa knew she could have done better, but this consternation only added to the array of complex feelings she already felt.

The light music club was over. It didn't really matter if more members joined next year, it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be that wonderful group of girls she had befriended. It wouldn't be the dysfunctional club president, nor the cowardly bassist. It wouldn't be the perverted rich girl and her luxurious vacation homes. It wouldn't be Yui and her antics... Her warmth, her cuteness, her affection... Along with the rest of her seniors, the beautiful girl she had come to know as Yui-senpai would be gone. Gone with the winds of change and off at a distant college she had never even heard of.

Azusa wasn't exactly sure when Yui's sweetness had crept into her thoughts, though she imagined it had happened sometime during their last summer break together. Perhaps it had been during the music festival, or during the night of fireworks shortly thereafter, but it didn't make a difference. In the past she had felt awkward when Yui had enveloped her in a hug or otherwise gave her unsolicited physical attention, and now whenever the vibrant older girl was around, she hoped for it. Yui seemed to have a way of consistently increasing her heart rate, of spreading happiness throughout her body, so easily.

Never having had such physical attention before, Azusa had become accustomed to Yui's warmth. She longed for it. She yearned for it.

"I should call her..." Azusa mumbled to herself, blushing as she looked down into her lap. There was no one home. Her parents were preparing for a late night jazz gig with their band friends. It might have been easy to be jealous of her parents, especially since they had managed to keep a semblance of a jazz group together through the years, but Azusa knew better than that. She knew better than to be jealous of the parents that worked so hard for her well-being, but it didn't stop her from wanting a similar arrangement for her own future. To be able to play music with the one you loved... Surely that was a piece of heaven.

"_Yui-senpai would probably enjoy playing music with me like that..."_ Azusa thought to herself, opening her cellphone to reveal a somewhat recent photograph of Yui and her smiling together. She had taken it during the last winter break and it had since been the background on her phone's display. _"She would probably like it if we went to the same school, too. But it's not going to happen if you don't call her."_

Azusa leaned backward into the couch with a sigh, closing her eyes and letting the cellphone fall on to a nearby cushion. The last week had been rather disheartening, though not because fate would have it ill for her. Certainly the end of school, along with the end of the club as she knew it, was depressing to think about. It was beyond depressing, but it paled in comparison to the turmoil she felt. It could not rival the stress that was brought upon by her own heart and feelings. Certainly they had grown septic, spreading toxins throughout her body until she confronted them, or until she no longer had a heart, perhaps.

"Call her..." Azusa pleaded with herself again, only to face a familiar insurmountable wall of fears and doubts. _"She's not interested,"_ or perhaps the classic, _"She doesn't like girls like that, and you're a freak for liking her like that." _The most fearful possibility, however, was the thought that perhaps Yui was taken. That a cute guy had asked her out and she had accepted, or perhaps a cute girl, or perhaps one of the band members... They certainly adored her, and Azusa wouldn't put it past one of them to steal away with her dear Yui, especially since the end of the school year had finally come. _ "Well, they are going to different schools than Yui-senpai, I don't think that would happen. Why someone would start a relationship with someone and then decide to go to a different school, I have no idea."_

Picking up her cell phone from the couch idly, Azusa pressed a button to light up the screen. It was a nice picture of her and Yui. They almost looked like a couple they were so close. It would have been nice if they were kissing. Yes, that would have been completely acceptable. _"I would not have even cared if we were stared at, really. That's just silly to think that you can't kiss a girl in public, right? I mean..."_

Azusa's phone began to vibrate in her hand. It was Yui. Before Azusa could even think she accepted the call and hastily brought the device to her ear.

"Hello, it's Azusa," Azusa said quickly, only to chastise herself a fraction of a second later. _"Well of course it's Azusa, this is your cell phone and this is Yui-senpai ca..."_

"Ah, Azunyan! Long time no see! It's Yui!"

"Yea, umm... Hello Yui-senpai!" Azusa replied nervously, her hand shaking slightly and her face burning. She peered around. Certainly there was no one in the house, right? Her parents were gone, right? There were no burglars to overhear her conversation or see her face, right? She covered a cheek with her free hand and turned her other cheek into the back cushions of the couch, pulling her legs up to her chest. _"You're acting like a kid with candy!"_

"Mmm... Azunyan, we need to go do something before I go to school! You know I'm going to college soon right? I can't even believe I'm going to be away from home," Yui explained, her voice sending shivers through Azusa like a deliciously warm ice cube sliding down her back. Certainly it felt like that, minus the water.

"Yui-senpai, you... aren't asking me out are you?" The words exploded from Azusa's mouth directly from the recesses of her daydreams. _"No no no, that's not what I wanted to say! Gah, that was like the..."_

"I wanted to get an ice cream with you! Is that okay? I mean, I know it's a bit cold out and everything..." Yui replied simply, her happy tone unwavering and childishly curious.

Azusa had to admit that Yui's obliviousness to her request was almost amazing. Certainly her senior knew she was fond of her? Certainly the snuggly joy was aware that Azusa, of all people, found her particularly wonderful? She had even admitted it on several occasions, especially when it came to praising the almost miraculous abilities of the air-headed high schooler she had fallen for.

"Azunyan...?" Yui called over the phone. "Are you there?"

"Ah, yes! I'm here, sorry... When do you want to go...?" Azusa replied, flustered. Forgetting to speak was not the first indication she was having trouble with this particular conversation. The fact that the thoughts in her mind were running laps at light-speed was perhaps the best indicator. Or maybe it was drooling on her cellphone, or was that dry mouth? Was this a case of both drooling and dry mouth? Intriguing.

"Now! Let's go now... Ui even said I should!"

"Okay, that's..."

"Wai! I'll be over in a little bit! Bye bye!" Yui said quickly, and the line disconnected with a click.

"Well then..." Azusa said quietly to herself, staring at the phone in her hand, "'I want to get an ice cream with you,' that's a date, right?"

Certainly it must be.

...o.o.o.o...

Dashing down the stairs at top speed, Yui landed on the floorboards with a thud and a broad smile. Her younger sister certainly wouldn't scold her for being so excited, but Ui's expression would have possibly made one think otherwise. Ui sighed quietly to herself and walked out of the kitchen towards the hallway.

"Onee-chan," Ui started, checking her cellphone quickly, "What time do you think you'll be back by?"

"Eh, umm..." Yui replied sheepishly, looking towards the front door with an ambitious glance as she straightened herself. "Is 'I don't know' an answer?"

"Not exactly," Ui began as she approached her sister, "Unless you want me to leave you a plate on the table, but still... We have to be up early tomorrow so we can be on the train for your school's orientation. You need to be home at a decent time anyways."

"Eh? Wasn't that orientation optional?" Yui mumbled uninterestedly, putting on a shoe. "Some kind of campus tour or something?"

"It is, I guess," Ui said, her voice wavering slightly as she gazed at Yui's backside. If obsessive-compulsive disorder could be applied to wanting to groom one's sister, it was certainly beginning to act up. Ui fidgeted slightly as her eyes came to rest on a piece of fuzz on her sister's jacket. "I still think we should go though. I'd like to drop off a few things at the studio as well."

"It's almost two hours each way, Ui. That's like all day!" Yui explained, settling her foot into the other shoe and standing up to face Ui. "There are so many much more fun things I could do! Like ice cream."

"You're going out for ice cream right now, how much more do you need?" Ui sighed, giving into her OCD and closing the last few steps between her and her sister. She removed a comb from her pocket with the deft skill of a magician and brought it up to Yui's hair. "Turn around for me. Anyways, I know it's a long day. If it makes you feel any better, we can get an ice cream while we're there. And, well, I'd like to start considering colleges as well..."

"Oh, right... You could go anywhere you wanted... I'm lucky I got into college, though this one practically accepts anyone..." Yui replied wistfully before suddenly switching gears, "And that's cheating! How did you know I like ice cream?" Yui added more excitedly, wiggling as Ui gently combed through her hair.

Ui couldn't help but wonder how it had ended up like this, though to be fair she had a good idea. Ever since junior high, ever since their parents began taking exotic trips around the world... Yui's exciting and carefree life had somehow melded with hers. Somehow there had been a unison of yin and yang, and somehow things had worked out. Somehow things were always okay. Even now, Ui knew better than to think that her sister was arguing with her. The daily games she played with Yui were just another endearing facet of day to day life as sisters, another endearing facet of the life she relished.

"You look cute, Onee-chan," Ui said, picking off the piece of fuzz from her sister's jacket and turning her around to face her. "I'm kind of jealous you are spending time with Azusa-chan, but I know she will like it. Oh, by the way, here..."

Ui rummaged through her apron pocket and pulled out a couple of small notes. "You'll need a bit of money, won't you? I guess Dad wasn't around to give allowance this month."

"Oh! Money!" Yui exclaimed, her face clearly conveying that she had forgotten about the payment part of the ice cream buying ritual completely. "Ui, how did you know? First it was the ice cream, and now the money..."

"Onee-chan, you're funny," Ui replied simply, tucking her comb back into a pocket. "So, 6 o'clock then?"

"7 o'clock!" Yui countered competitively. Certainly this too was a game, but Ui had already won.

"Deal," Ui agreed with a smile, "I'll buy our tickets for tomorrow then."

"You're so hard on me..." Yui mumbled playfully, reaching forward and bringing her sister into an embrace.

It was Yui's wordless way of saying thank you, especially with Ui. It always had been. With a soft sigh, Ui returned the gesture, resting her head on her older sister's shoulder gently.

"I'll be back for dinner, Ui. See you soon!" The tender embrace ended as Yui stepped back and towards the door, smiling. Ui smiled back at her.

"Be safe."

A moment later the door had closed and Yui was out of sight. After standing motionless for several moments in thought, Ui stepped forward and locked the door. Her hand returned to her side slowly, and for several more moments she gazed idly at the bronze colored knob.

It was hard to believe that in only a few weeks Yui would be miles away at school, and everything would be different. How many more times would she see her sister off like this? Ten? Twelve?

Whatever the count ended up to be, it was unacceptable.

"_Why couldn't one of her friends have gone to the same school? It would make this easier," _Ui thought to herself despairingly, a common whim that had been repeating itself in her thoughts lately, but she knew better than to wonder about what-ifs. She knew better than to play mind games with herself. She knew better than to idly wallow in useless, pathetic pity and let the world dictate her path.

...o.o.o.o...

_**My First: Chapter 3**__ is scheduled for August 17th._

_**Hungry for more? **_This story is being released concurrently with Hidamari Sketch: Sunshine!

**Know When This Storyline is Continued!** Add me to your favorite author or author alert list. You will also be able to track updates and releases for other fandoms. _I also post updates in my profile._

**Beta: **Kuchibiru


	4. Chapter 3

The clock on the wall ticked away nervously, seconds passing by quickly without hesitation or remorse, floating along to the past with a vindictive glee. Every once in awhile, a minute would pass, and Azusa would glance into the mirror in the hallway and make sure there was no dirt on her face, or hair popping out of place, or something of otherwise unfit nature to present to the guest of honor. The maid of honor.

"Seriously, it's like you are making sure a dirtball hasn't hit you," Azusa said to herself punitively, twirling a length of hair in her fingers as she glanced at her cellphone for the millionth time. Her maiden was running a bit late considering she had said she would be right over, but Azusa could have expected that. Azusa could also expect for her to arrive out of breath and hungry.

"I guess that would be kind of cute," Azusa slipped her phone back into her pocket, spinning around with a smile on the wooden floors. She had never been on a date before, let alone had taken an interest in someone. The feelings that had come with the new experience were... Hard to keep track of. They were happiness, they were definitely this wonderful, hopeful, anxious happiness... But they were also difficult to place. They were difficult to compare to any other kind of happiness, if only by the way they seemed so unreal and mysterious. So new.

There was a knock at the door, and just short of falling over mid-twirl, Azusa leapt for the door knob. She opened the door to find Yui standing happily before a backdrop of the quiet neighborhood in mid-afternoon light, a wide grin pasted on her goofy face and hair slightly disheveled from her less than unnoticeable recent running. Yui was of course out of breath and quite cute, something of which Azusa had quickly taken note of with a faint blush and embarrassed expression.

"Azunyan!" Yui greeted happily, bouncing forward without delay to give Azusa a hug. "I feel like it's been ages!"

"Yui-senpai, I'm glad you made it okay," Azusa replied, returning the embrace as the red in her cheeks spread. It was hard to know for sure if dates normally started with a hug and Azusa was simply too inexperienced to know, but it didn't stop her from enjoying the affection. There was something about Yui's warmth that Azusa couldn't say no to. Something that she couldn't simply deny from herself. "I guess it has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yup! Which is why today we are totally going to get an ice cream and spoil my dinner," Yui explained energetically, letting go of Azusa. "So that means you have to put your shoes on and we can go! I want to go to my favorite ice cream place."

Complying with a bashful nod, Azusa slipped on her shoes. Moments later and with a steady stream of babble from Yui, she was ready.

"Okay, off we go!" Yui took Azusa's hand and they left the dwelling at a lively pace, Yui leading the way with Azusa tagging behind at a lack of words. Abundant pleasantries flowing through her thoughts, Azusa had little brain power left to say anything, though perhaps speaking wasn't necessary. Just enjoying Yui's presence was wonderful. Just her small hand in hers, holding on tightly as they made their way to perhaps the only ice cream parlour open at that time of year. For that reason alone, no wonder why it was Yui's favorite.

It was only after several minutes of walking to Yui's idle chatter that Azusa was first subjected to irrational dismay: Yui released the hold of her hand, and Azusa could not immediately place the reason. The neurons in Azusa's brain began to fire rapidly as Yui began to talk about her last meal and how scrumptious the tenpura had been.

"It was like, an explosion of yumminess! You have to try it when you come over for dinner sometime!" Yui rambled, unaware that Azusa was frantically fighting an internal war.

"_Oh, what's wrong! Does she not want to hold my hand anymore? Why? Is she embarrassed?"_ Azusa thought worriedly, glancing over to Yui seeking an answer. Seeking some sort of reasoning or excuse. Yui noticed her strange expression.

"Eh, is something wrong Azunyan? You don't like tenpura?" Yui asked, plowing herself into Azusa and wrapping her arm around the girl, hoping the curious expressions would turn back into a smile. "You probably had an allergic reaction to shrimp tenpura when you were young, didn't you? Oh, that is so horrible! To not be able to enjoy the lovely taste of shrimp and the crunchy tenpura..."

"Yui-senpai," Azusa started quietly with a hint of embarrassment, "That would be horrible, but I'm not allergic."

"Oh, that's great! I'll tell Ui that we should have shrimp tenpura then!" Yui resumed her normal walking posture, leaving Asuza a bit dismayed that their embrace had ended so quickly.

Maybe she should look sad and depressed more often? Certainly she would get more attention from Yui that way, right?

"_You could just ask..." _Azusa turned her eyes back to the sidewalk ahead, her mouth open slightly as she pondered the possibility of actually just asking Yui to hold her hand, or hug her. _"You could just take her hand yourself instead of being a coward."_

Glancing at her companion again, Azusa's step wavered slightly as the sight of Yui filled her vision. Her heart was beating in her chest rapidly, and it felt like it was much warmer outside than it actually was. Several more moments passed as Yui chattered away about a recent dessert she had eaten, interspersed with complaints about no longer having access to Tsumugi's cakes and pastries. _"It would probably be okay to just take a hold of her hand..."_

"Ah, there it is! Behold the power of ice cream!" Yui said excitedly as her eyes grew big. The wonderful ice cream dispensary loomed before them like a beacon of sugary divinity, but as Azusa already had a source of confectioneries in her field of vision, she didn't notice. The wellspring of sweetness herself again took hold of Azusa's hand once more, and before anything could be said they were dashing across the last few meters to the parlour.

The feelings running through her faster than her legs carried her in that moment, the attachment she felt during that mad rush... Certainly it was bliss. Certainly this was what Azusa wanted to hold on to, to cherish...

The yearning in Azusa's chest for Yui's tenderness was overwhelming her as they entered the cute ice cream shop. The happiness of being with Yui came with the ever surmounting desire to claim her. To call her her girlfriend and hold on to her, if for no other reason, because the gift of Yui should be hers and only hers.

"Ah, I want the super chocolaty one! With the cute sprinkles please!" Yui said as she ordered her ice cream, letting go of Azusa's hand to fish around for the money Ui had given her. "Azunyan, what ice cream would you like? I'll buy it for you!"

"Oh, you don't really have too, Yui-senpai..."

"Just order! It's okay, Ui gave me money for both of us!" Yui explained happily, giggling. "Ui is so cute, don't you think? She just reads my mind sometimes and it's like... Oh! A new flavor!"

It was so incredibly difficult to say no to Yui, and it prompted Azusa to wonder how Ui managed to do it on a daily basis. Especially with Yui constantly bombarding her with various irrelevant infatuations, particularly those concerned with cuteness.

Azusa smiled bashfully and she turned her attention to the shop clerk to make a request. Minutes later, after they had received their ice cream cones, and after Yui had successfully completed the payment ritual for their desserts, they found themselves wandering the sidewalks and headed in the general direction of the local park.

"Thank you Yui-senpai, you really didn't have to," Azusa said appreciatively, glancing at Yui to find the girl happily licking away at her ice cream. Her tongue was rather cute and small, and as Azusa noticed this she returned her eyes to the sidewalk ahead with another blush. _"Well, Yui-senpai does have a really cute mouth in general..."_

"Aww, don't worry about it! Normally I get ice cream with Ui, but she is busy tonight. I'm glad you weren't doing anything, I was kind of scared that I might have had to go alone," Yui replied as she glanced at Azusa. "But... You have been kind of quiet this afternoon, are you thinking about something? You never did tell me what was wrong."

"_Yui-senpai, perceptive? Impossible."_ Azusa couldn't help but smile. Perhaps there was more to Yui's goofy grins and stories than met the eye.

It didn't change the fact that there was indeed something on Azusa's mind. Furthermore, of that something, there was only one answer to Yui's question, and that answer was substantially more embarrassing than Yui's adorable insistence from only a moment ago.

"Yui-senpai..." Azusa started, her hand shaking with the ice cream cone. She took a small bite of the confection out of nervousness. There was only one thing going through her mind. One thing and a million possibilities. For several moments she was quiet, and after the silence, she continued softly once more, "Yui-senpai..."

It was rare for someone close to Yui to be so serious, and that might have been because Yui was generally not in the least bit serious, but she was not a fool to miss it completely as some might think of her to do. Glancing worriedly at Azusa again, she watched as the younger girl took another small bite of her ice cream.

"_She's watching me,"_ Azusa thought to herself nervously, _"She waiting for me, she's wondering about me, she's thinking about me..."_

"Azunyan, you know you can talk to me if something is bothering you," Yui said softly, "I'd like to think that you like me enough to talk to me."

"_Somehow that made this even harder,"_ Azusa sighed nervously. The thought that perhaps Yui had an inclination as to what she wanted to say was a difficult feeling, and Azusa had to wonder that if that was the case... What was Yui's answer? Had she thought about such a proposition before? Buying herself another moment of time, Azusa brought the ice cream back to her lips for another bite, however her judgement of the trajectory to her mouth was quite miscalculated and a smear of sugary dairy ended up on her cheek. Yui giggled cutely at this.

"Aww, Azunyan you have ice cream on your cheek..." Yui pointed out with a goofy smile. She leaned in closer to Azusa's face. "You know, this is the point where Mugi is like.. blush blush blush and all happy, right?"

The characterization of Tsumugi wasn't completely off, but of course Azusa had more pressing concerns to occupy her thoughts with, like the proximity of Yui to her, the people that were probably staring at her, and the ice cream on her face that probably looked ridiculous.

"It's cute when your face is dirty Azunyan, and..." Yui began, peering anxiously at the blushing girl next to her as she sniffed the air, "You smell like mint ice cream! So yummy!"

"_You could just lick it off my face already, Yui-senpai. You could just practically kiss me and bathe me in one simple, quick motion..."_ Azusa thought to herself anxiously, her eyes transfixed on Yui with the hope that her marginally air-headed and personal boundary ignoring senior would do such a thing. _"Let's see, I'm pretty sure that's the next line to cross and we are still just friends!"_

Azusa's attention was suddenly diverted from her thoughts; Yui had purposefully taken a rather messy bite out of her ice cream, and the melted dairy now encircled her mouth. Besides the fact that she couldn't even begin to keep track of Yui's antics, or even understand what thought processes provoked Yui to act upon such randomness, Azusa couldn't help but notice the cute and rather enticing chocolate all over Yui's lips. The milky mess on her own face was suddenly forgotten amidst her rapturous gaze and Yui's giggles.

"Oops!" Yui said with a smile, grinning as the chocolate began to dribble down her chin. She stuffed the rest of her ice cream cone into her mouth and furiously devoured it before continuing. "I made a mess... Azunyan I'm all messy!" Yui cried, eyeing Azusa expectantly with a wiggle.

Azusa had seen this expression before. It was the 'Please treat me like a young innocent princess' look. Snapping out of her reverie, Azusa realized that a seemingly harmless opportunity to touch Yui had presented itself.

"_This is almost like grade school... In some perverted, alternate universe kind of way." _Azusa reached into her pocket for her handkerchief, because unlike the bouncing Yui next to her, she had the sense to carry one like most other girls her age. _ "Yui-senpai isn't... actually your age though..."_

"Here, Yui-senpai..." Azusa began, lifting the handkerchief higher than necessary as an indication she was catering to the childish interests of her senior. Yui whimpered happily and leaned forward.

The warmth of Yui's skin through the thin cloth was wonderful. Azusa wiped the ice cream away, and hoping to draw the experience out for a extra few moments of closeness, she made sure to move her hand particularly slowly. Her fingers grazed Yui's bare cheek, and while it wasn't clear whether it was on purpose or by accident, she blushed at the contact, and her body filled with a quite enjoyable tingling sensation. Her bashfulness, which would have normally driven her to withdraw her hand at such a misstep, abated itself in lieu of the warm feelings.

"Aww, Azunyan... That was cute," Yui said contentedly, putting her own hand to her face and taking the cloth from Azusa. "Now it's your turn!"

"Eh?" Azusa didn't have time to react in any other way. Between the sudden pleasure of having Yui's hand against hers, and then subsequently the feeling of Yui pressing the handkerchief against her cheek, Azusa was far too paralyzed to have any sort of formidable reaction whatsoever, but... Certainly it was heaven. As her face became ice cream-less and substantially redder, Yui withdrew the soiled linen and craftily tucked it in to her pocket with a smile.

"Yui-senpai..." Azusa started, a driving pressure in her chest suddenly screaming at her to speak. _"Do it now... Say it now while she's thinking fondly of you..."_

"I don't have it!" Yui replied back quickly, grinning ear to ear.

"Actually..." Azusa began again resolutely, completely ignoring that Yui had just swiped her handkerchief, "I was going to tell you that I'm going to miss you."

"Miss me?" Yui replied, her tone dropping suddenly, "You mean, umm... When I go to college...?"

"Yea, I'm going to miss you," Azusa looked at her feet.

"You can visit me whenever you want! I know it's kind of far away... But..." Yui turned her gaze to the sidewalk even though they still remained stopped. "I would like that a lot!" Yui turned to Azusa with another smile.

"I actually, well.. I kind of wanted to..." Azusa fumbled for words. Certainly she had managed to finagle visits to see Yui over the course of the next school year, but perhaps there was room for more. Perhaps it was okay to tell Yui she wanted to see even more of her. Azusa took a breath and cautiously returned her glance to Yui's pensive face.

"Yui-senpai I want to go to the same school as you!" Azusa had said it. The words had come out quickly and in a torrent. She had looked back at the ground before the last word had even escaped her mouth, and now another blush crept upon her cheeks like a voracious breed of English ivy, even while the rest of her body shook with nervousness.

"Azunyan, I would..."

"That isn't strange is it?" Azusa blurted suddenly. She couldn't stop herself from legitimatizing her desires. "You wouldn't think of me as weird for wanting to go to the same school as you, right? We could play guitars still, and have lunch together, and make new friends, and..."

"_Wait, what she was going to say?"_

Azusa let her eyes shyly wander upwards to Yui's face, idly gazing upwards until they found focus on Yui's chin, and then her mouth, and then her nose... And then her gaze fell upon Yui's shining eyes. In the split second when their stare had locked, Azusa stopped. Her heart, her breath, her thoughts... Everything had stopped. She had expected to see Yui's lovely smile, her cute face still a bit sticky from ice cream, her expecting, waiting expression...

She didn't expect the tears in Yui's eyes.

...o.o.o.o...

_**My First: Chapter 4** is scheduled for August 24th._

_**Hungry for more? **_This story is being released concurrently with Hidamari Sketch: Sunshine!

**Know When This Storyline is Continued!** Add me to your favorite author or author alert list. You will also be able to track updates and releases for other fandoms. _I also post updates in my profile._

**Get sneak-peaks at the next chapter and discuss My First!** Visit the website in my profile. There is a section on the forums specifically for My First. The preview for Chapter 4 will be online approximately 24 hours after this chapter is posted.

**Beta: **Kuchibiru (Presently missing in action - I miss you! heart!)


	5. Chapter 4

The sun was quickly fading from the sky now, casting long shadows across the ground and leaving a particularly chilly air. The rich warm colors it brought to the neighborhood, those of oranges, reds and golds, grew darker with each passing minute, slowly but surely turning shades of indigo.

Even as the sunlight began to disappear completely, the scant light seemed to hold on to the tears in each of Yui's eyes, illuminating the melancholy within them and catching that much more of Azusa's attention. Standing motionless as the evening fast approached, Azusa gazed into Yui's eyes unable to say or do anything. Yui, the high school girl that was always so carefree and happy, was clearly upset. Azusa didn't know what to do; her mind had drawn a blank even as she criticized herself.

"_What did I say?"_ The thought repeated through Azusa's mind like a song that had glitched and repeated itself over and over on a very bad word. She couldn't begin to understand how Yui had become upset all of a sudden, nor could she begin to link those feelings to what they had just talked about. Certainly Yui would be happy that she wanted to go to the same college, right? Certainly Yui would have possibly expected that of her, especially when one considered how close they had become over the last couple years.

"_Whatever."_ Azusa knew that what she had just said certainly could not have been the root cause of Yui's problems. Yui, for all her ridiculous antics, wouldn't hold her guilty unless she had reason to. Yui wasn't the kind of person to just randomly decide to hate someone, and in fact, Azusa knew it was probably just the opposite. _"Yui-senpai wants my attention."_

A plausible notion. Regardless, this was an opening for Azusa to be Yui's hero. One that wouldn't be turned away, one that would lend itself to be a wet dream on a lonely night. Azusa stuffed the remainder of her ice cream cone into her mouth and stepped forward, embracing Yui. Her arms wrapped around the warm body of her senior and she held fast to girl she adored. She didn't know what was next, but she didn't let go. She didn't want to let go.

"Azunyan, you're cute," Yui said softly, reaching up with her hands to wipe away the tears that had filled her eyes so suddenly. It was unlike Yui to be so emotional in front of friends. Giving Azusa a hug after her eyes were dry and taking a step back, Yui smiled.

"Thanks," Yui added, and then with a sudden and very noticeable shift in mood, she wiggled.

It was perhaps easy to tell that Yui was back to her normal, happy self just by the miraculous change she had just managed, and even though Azusa missed holding Yui, she smiled as well. It was a relief to know that she had been right in holding her, and that Yui wasn't upset with her. It was rewarding to know that Yui had appreciated her concern.

"Is this like, double Mugi now? First we had ice cream on our faces, and then you hugged me when I was sad!" Yui wondered aloud with giggle, looking to Azusa with a bright face that was quite unlike the sad one from just a moment ago. "She has this thing about girls, doesn't she?"

Azusa nearly completely forgot Yui's sadness in that single moment. Yui had just clearly referenced Tsumugi's perverted tendencies. This was good. This was very good. Those same tendencies were so very clearly lesbian in nature it wasn't even funny. Tsumugi had certainly acted in the capacity of a lesbian fan girl in the past, and now was the time to capitalize on it.

"_This is a good topic. Certainly this is my chance to find out if she is interested in girls. Maybe..." _Azusa wondered to herself, eyes locked on Yui's face. Yui didn't seem to notice.

"You know, Azunyan, you're being quiet again," Yui mentioned. Her voice had slipped to something a little more concerned, much like it had before. Of course, a serious Yui had to include some kind of joke where permissible. "I didn't scare you did I? You don't think I'm some sort of a fake Yui because I got upset, right?"

Azusa liked the concerned part of Yui, even though she had only really been witness to it on a very infrequent basis. When Yui's feelings were genuine like this, she almost felt like she could spill her heart to Yui. Azusa sighed, she wasn't quite ready to do that. Soon, but not quite. She had to know if Yui was interested in girls. Not in the comic, humorous way that she had already proved to Azusa, but rather in the real way and with genuine interest.

"Is Mugi-senpai a lesbian?" Azusa asked softly, her eyes staring past Yui bashfully. Surely that was a safe question. Surely she could ask it when Yui was being concerned.

"Eh? No way!" Yui exclaimed. The consternation in her voice was gone, and along with it went Yui's recollection of Azusa's prior lack of words. She wiggled happily, looking forward with a finger to her lips. "But that makes sense, doesn't it?"

"You don't think it's a little strange?" Azusa replied as nonchalantly as possible, trying to not come across as disapproving. Yui began to start walking again, and Azusa joined her at her side.

"Well," Yui started, a hint of seriousness returning to her voice. An expression of actual thinking found it's way onto her face, much to Azusa's approval. "Girls are cute, aren't they? It would be strange of me to say I wouldn't like a cute girl... I like cute!"

"_Is this even possible? Yui-senpai saying she likes girls? Well... cute girls, but still... I guess maybe it was a given, she does really like cute things..." _Azusa thought furiously, a slight blush spreading across her face as she considered her next question. She had to keep this pace, she was definitely getting somewhere. She just had to keep asking questions. Yui didn't seem to mind the nature of them at all, so perhaps... Perhaps it was safe...

"What about you, Azunyan? Don't you like cute girls?" Yui asked distractedly, looking unhappily at her hand and fully expecting a sugar cone to still be there. "I mean, I don't see why someone wouldn't like fluffy, squeezable, adorable, caring cute girls."

"Actually..." Azusa started. Yui's question had been rather direct, and she hesitated. Wrapped up in the topic beyond the point of nervous habits, her hands still shook. Her palms were sweaty even though the air was a bit chill. "Actually, I really like this girl."

"Oh! Azunyan likes someone! No way!" Yui exclaimed, stopping in her tracks even though they had only just started moving again. Turning to Azusa with a probing expression, she set both her hands on her shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me? Shouldn't I be the first to hear of this? Do you not like me?"

"I like you!" Azusa stated impulsively.

She had said it. It was sudden, it was unexpected, but she had said it. She had really said it. A blush spread across her face quickly. She glanced up to Yui, but after seeing the expression on her senior's face it suddenly hit her that Yui didn't understand. Azusa looked away quickly.

"Oh good! Then you can tell me who you like!" Yui replied happily, watching Azusa expectantly.

"_You have got to be kidding me. Somehow Yui-senpai does this by default."_ Azusa fidgeted under Yui's stare. The second time explaining her feelings felt exponentially more difficult. No longer did she feel the sporadic drive to just shout it. Now it was awkward to say it again. Now her heart was in her throat, beating as if it were running on high octane racing fuel. A quiet whimper escaped her lips.

"Oh." Yui replied uninterestedly, "I see."

"_Did she put it together? Why is she sounding so downcast?"_ Azusa thought suddenly, turning back to Yui worriedly to find that her senior was watching her curiously.

"I see how it is..." Yui began again playfully, "It's a secret! I thought you liked me! You just said you liked me!"

"I do like you!" Azusa explained exasperatedly. It had quickly turned into a game, and as such Azusa had quickly grown weary of it. Her attitude had amazingly changed into something more direct, more serious, more confident. "That's what I'm trying to say."

"What?" Yui replied, a smile creeping on her face. A smile that clearly said she was teasing Azusa. A smile that clearly said she was in charge. A smile that dared Azusa to say another word.

So quickly, Yui had won the game. Azusa glanced downward. So slow to inflate, so fast to deflate. She was like a balloon, and Yui had just popped her. There was no other way out of this one.

"I like you, Yui-senpai." Azusa said softly, her eyes idly examining the patterns on her shoes. She wanted to look up, to see Yui's expression, to know what the girl thought of her... But she couldn't bring herself to accomplish that. The limit of her abilities in that moment were to blush furiously and hopefully look cute. To be hopeful that Yui would respond favorably to her.

A moment of silence passed.

"Oh, so that means..." Yui started hesitantly, "You're gay then?"

"_What kind of response is that!" _Azusa thought to herself immediately, looking up to find Yui's expression one of thoughtful curiosity. It was clear that Yui was thinking about something, and perhaps even more clear that Yui was avoiding a direct response. _"She's probably scared..."_

"That's true, I guess. I don't really..." Azusa began to explain.

"Have you ever dated a girl? Azunyan? Like, seriously dated?" Yui asked, stepping closer to Azusa with what appeared to be intense curiosity on her face.

Azusa couldn't be sure though.

"Well, not yet..." Azusa answered softly. Yui's reaction to her words was not what she had expected, especially after a confession, but it wasn't bad either. "To be honest, I never have been with anyone. It's kind of new to me..."

"Oh, I see," Yui replied as she watched Azusa intently, "I guess that means you, umm..."

"We don't have to be official or anything right now... I just want to date you." Azusa brought her hands together and began to nervously intertwine them. "I think you're an amazing person and I want to..."

Azusa didn't finish her words. Yui had tenderly embraced her for perhaps the fourth time that evening, her warm arms around Azusa's body and her head resting gently on Azusa's shoulders. It was bliss. She didn't need to finish her words... Yui knew what she wanted. That alone was unbelievably sweet in its own right. Azusa wrapped her arms around Yui and sighed happily.

"Azunyan..." Yui started gently, hesitantly. A hint of remorse filled her voice. "You know in not even three weeks I'll be far away from here, don't you?"

"Yeah... But I can come see you. I wanted to do that anyways," Azusa explained, resting her head against Yui's neck.

Yui seemed to be taking her own course of action with the conversation, and Azusa wasn't sure what could possibly be going through Yui's head, but it didn't matter. It was pleasant, it was wonderful. There was nothing better and all Azusa wanted in that moment was for the tenderness to continue. The part of Yui's personality that was soft and concerning. The part she had only glimpsed of in the past amidst various conversations and exchanges.

"Are your parents going to let you really do that, though?" Yui wondered aloud, distraction apparent in her voice. "It's like almost two hours, and transportation costs add up too."

"Yui-senpai," Azusa said, attempting to get even more of Yui's attention. "Are you scared about being attached to someone over distance?"

Yui didn't answer, though in reality she didn't need to.

"Distance doesn't matter," Azusa explained, naive resolution filling her voice. It was easier for Azusa to say such things when Yui seemed vulnerable, but right now it wouldn't have matter anyways. Azusa just wanted Yui, and that ambition alone had thus far proven to be a rather powerful force. It made Azusa wonder just how far ambition could go, but that particular thought was fleeting in the present situation. Yui's warmth against her was too much to think straight. "I want to go to your college anyways."

Yui fidgeted with a sigh.

"Azunyan, I think you're wonderful, but..."

"I think you're the most wonderful!" Azusa replied quickly. Yui's last word had scared her. 'But' was such an unpleasant word right now... She didn't want to hear it. Anything to not hear that word. "I would do anything for you!"

Yui stepped back from Azusa, her hands coming to a rest on Azusa's lower abdomen. Her eyes were open and expressing countless feelings that Azusa couldn't begin to understand. Azusa gazed back nervously.

It was hard for Azusa to truly have a decent understanding of the situation. These feelings were rather new, relationships were new, explaining this to Yui was new. Yui herself seemed new to all of this, or at the very least, quite confused. Worried maybe. It was difficult to really know. All Azusa could think about at that point was wanting Yui... Wanting to return to her warm arms and gentle embrace.

"But are you sure?" Yui asked, almost in a whisper.

"Yes, of course I'm sure! All I want is you, Yui-senpai!" Azusa replied bravely, the momentum of the moment propelling the words out of her mouth the second she thought of them. "When you like someone, don't you want to spend time with them no matter what?"

"Azunyan," Yui started quietly. "When I like someone, I do want to spend time with them, so don't get me wrong, I do want to spend time with you."

A nervous moment passed for Azusa, though it easily ended when Yui smiled warmly and tucked a hand into Azusa's hair.

"Let's take it easy, okay?" Yui said at last. It seemed like she wanted to say more, but Azusa was too quick to reply.

"I will!" Azusa agreed happily, a smile spreading across her face. A blush soon followed afterwords as her mind began to roam the tantalizing physical possibilities now within reach. Perhaps her recent interest in lesbian romances had something to do with this, but it was much easier to lay blame on Tsumugi for her perversions.

"Oh... My cell..." Yui pulled her cellphone out of her pocket as it vibrated with an incoming call. "Uh oh."

"What is it?"

"Angry Ui. I lost track of time," Yui said guiltily before hesitantly pressing a button on her phone to receive the call. "Ui..."

Azusa smiled, gazing at the stars above while Yui apologized to her sister. It kind of felt good to get Yui in trouble for once.

"I'm on my way now, maybe ten minutes, okay?" Yui negotiated. She listened for her sister's approval as Azusa turned her attention back to her. Yui smiled at Azusa reassuringly. "Okay, I will. Bye bye."

Yui put her phone away and took Azusa's hand.

"Azunyan, I hope you don't mind a jog back to your house."

"I thought you had to be home!" Azusa exclaimed, "I don't want to get you into any more trouble, and my parents are probably home. I probably stayed out too late as it is considering I didn't tell them I would be out tonight."

Yui giggled at this.

"You're funny," Yui began, dragging Azusa into a fast walk. "I would get into even more trouble if I didn't make sure you were home safe. Ui told me to make sure you got home okay, and I was like 'Okay!' We can run home together now!"

Azusa wasn't sure what to think about Ui's instructions, but as they came to a full speed run towards her house, the thought drifted into oblivion.

All that mattered to Azusa in that moment was Yui's small, warm hand in hers.

...o.o.o.o...

_**My First: Chapter 5** is scheduled for August 31st._

_**Hungry for more? **_This story is being released concurrently with Hidamari Sketch: Sunshine!

**Know When This Storyline is Continued!** Add me to your favorite author or author alert list. You will also be able to track updates and releases for other fandoms. _I also post updates in my profile._

**Beta: **Kuchibiru


	6. Chapter 5

There was something magical about the afternoon. It was surprisingly warm considering the previous day, there was a substantial amount of city wild life running around, and the sky was certainly beautiful and clear... But none of these things seemed to majorly contribute to the curious feelings of such a mysteriously pleasant and wonderful afternoon. In fact, they seemed to only be noticed on the off-hand. They seemed to be like the background in a photograph, and rather than the beauty of nature capturing the foreground, Azusa's feelings had taken center stage like a rather boisterous and lively opera singer with a penchant for singing in falsetto.

Having had time to prepare for their outing that day, Azusa wore a rather comfortable looking black hoodie over a particularly cute t-shirt with a colorful star pattern. A somewhat short skirt and a pair of leggings to keep the cold off adorned her legs, creating an outfit that matched her personality without being too loud. She thought she had done very well in looking nice for Yui that day.

Yui of course had thrown on whatever she could find that was clean, but it suit her like it always did. A black and purple grunge floral pattern adorned an off white t-shirt, and she had layered it with a dark grey turtle neck underneath. Yui had with her a small hand bag, it's strap draped around her shoulder. Azusa imagined that Yui was wearing a skirt that was oddly similar to their school uniform attire, but said nothing. Yui was cute, and it did her no good to make fun of Yui's style. Azusa also had to take into consideration the threat of not being able to meet with Yui on time. If Yui couldn't decide on what to wear, she would never leave the house.

It was a somewhat realistic thought at least, but to be brutally honest Azusa's knowledge of Yui's home life was really quite lacking. Even over the course of the last couple years, there had only been a handful of times when she had visited Yui at home and spent enough time there to learn the daily ways of Yui. It was disconcerting to think that Yui had a secret life at home that Azusa didn't know about. It was by this fact, one that Azusa was perhaps painfully aware of, that Azusa deemed it fitting to try to spend as much time as she could at Yui's house before she left for college. Today was unfortunately not going to be the start of that endeavor, but Azusa planned to ask. At some point, at least.

"Yui-senpai, do you think you're going to play the guitar at college?" Azusa inquired, pining for another glance from Yui as the older girl bounced along next to her with the energy and youthfulness of someone ten years younger.

"I want to!" Yui replied quickly, "You're going to come down and we are going to play together, right?"

Azusa blushed slightly as Yui's full attention came upon her. Between Yui's bright smile and her small hand in hers, it was hard to go wrong. It was hard to feel like there was anything dismal in the world. Certainly Yui would be going to school soon, but for now it was okay. For now the ridiculously persistent thought of Yui going away for a long period of time was tucked safely away, right along with the possibility that her parents wouldn't allow her to take the train on a regular basis two hours each way to and from nowhere land. To and from to see a student at a school with a name that sounded like a deluxe penitentiary with maximum security shoe lockers.

As far as her parents went, Azusa had so far drawn a blank. She hadn't decided to tell them about her interest in girls, her interest in Yui, or the blossoming relationship she had just started, and she didn't expect to receive any sort of carte blanche for such an engagement either. Considering that their relationship was less than 48 hours old, and considering that she was bumbling along with relationships for the first time, it was probably best to not even talk about it with her parents... But an irrational part of Azusa wanted to throw her supple and edible self into the lion's den. She wanted her parents to know and be happy for her. It was this strange, human feeling from her days of childhood needs of wanting to feel valid. Of wanting one's love and pride to feel valid.

Love was perhaps a bit far off, but Azusa could see it in the horizon of her dreams. Every dream, everyday, in fact.

"Azunyan! You're spacing out again!" Yui exclaimed, taking a step closer to Azusa so their sides met as they walked.

Neither of them were exactly sure where they were going, but at the very least they were sure to spot some cheap, mediocre place to eat. The district wasn't completely unfamiliar, but Azusa wasn't specifically knowledgeable either.

"Oh yeah," Azusa began, "I definitely want to come see you as much as possible! You'll have to show me around!"

"What about playing together?" Yui asked. She had been expecting some sort of affirmation from Azusa that they would still play together, though for some reason unknown to Yui, Azusa had spaced that part out of the question. Yui smiled with an air of innocent vindication.

"Oh, I want to play guitar with you!" Azusa replied, partially correcting the course of her locomotive. "But are we going to have other people to play with?"

"Yes," Yui replied stoutly. "Because everyone else will come too!"

"Eh, don't you think that's going to be difficult?" Azusa turned her attention ahead. Yui had done very well to miss the fact she wanted to spend special time with Yui playing their guitars together, but... Getting the old gang together was not a bad idea either. It would be interesting to hear from all of them on the rare occasion they could be together. "Oh my gosh, Mugi-senpai!"

"Where!" Yui snapped to attention and began looking around furiously for the blonde-haired confectionery bearing heiress.

"No, no, Mugi-senpai!" Azusa began again energetically. "She has those vacation homes, right?"

"Yes she does! They are so nice! We can play on the beach!" Yui replied enthusiastically.

"No, music. We are going to play music. At the beach houses," Azusa reiterated, and Yui draped her arms around Azusa remorsefully.

"But the beaches... They are so nice Azunyan! You wouldn't deny me the ocean and the swimming..." Yui put on her best pouting face as she hung on to Azusa. "We can skip summer studies together... I'll even write you a fake doctor's note..."

"That's even worse!"

"We can eat Mugi's cake! And in the evenings, we can hide away and..." Yui's attention was suddenly diverted to a small candy shop on the approaching corner. "Oh my gosh. Candy. Quick!"

"_It would have been nice if she finished that sentence,"_ Azusa mused as Yui dragged her along speedily to the beacon of toothaches and dental work. The afternoon sun shone off the surface of the windows with a golden glow that could be construed as a symbol of divine blessing. Azusa was certain the building looked prettier to Yui than it did to her.

Hand in hand, Yui lead the way to the hard candy section of the store and furiously began to inspect the shelves. Azusa gazed about the collection of sweets idly. Rather than watch Yui, her mind was rapidly doing iterations over the thought that her hand was still in Yui's and about how the shopkeeper was probably watching them and thinking how they were raised poorly. Thinking how they were destitute and needed better homes with normal, well-to-do families and proper bedtimes. Yes, certainly staying up late and browsing cesspool image boards had brought the perversions of lesbianism upon her.

She couldn't say those perversions were particularly bad, however. Yui was just too cute, too sweet, too innocent...

"_This is where you come in." _Asuza thought to herself, and she returned her gaze to the bouncy girl still holding her hand. Rather than let go, Yui had been hoarding candy in one hand, and now she was presently at the point where she could no longer hold any more.

"Okay!" Yui said happily, dragging Azusa up to the counter and setting down her selection. She fished through her pocket for some spare change and set it down before the shopkeeper.

Azusa was certain that the shopkeeper, a lady in her mid-fifties perhaps, was recording them on video surveillance. She peered around the room furtively, but could not find anything to suggest a camera was capturing their every move. _ "Certainly she's connected with the school board, this is a candy shop kid trap after all."_

"Thank you so much darlings, have a nice day," the shopkeeper said kindly after Yui had counted out the proper amount for the sweets.

"I'll definitely come back again!" Yui replied, letting go of Azusa's hand and removing her purchase from the counter. She peered at Azusa curiously. "Azunyan, no candy?"

Staring back at Yui with a face that clearly said she wasn't done holding Yui's hand, Azusa mumbled, "No thanks."

Yui seemed to catch on to Azusa's dejected expression, and sidled up next to her as they left the shop and proceeded down the street.

"Azunyan doesn't want a little sugar?" Yui teased, unwrapping a lollipop and twirling it around in her mouth. It wasn't long before the sticky redness of the candy had managed to adhere to her lips. She took Azusa's hand again after stuffing her sugary purchases and the wrapper into Azusa's hoodie. "Why so down, Azunyan?"

It was rather clear to Azusa that Yui had noticed her expression, and it was also rather clear that she was playing the 'poor me I want attention' game with Yui, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out how Yui always managed to make her feel like she had lost such a game even if she had gotten the attention that she had wanted in the first place. Azusa was beginning to think that it had something to do with Yui's innate ability to tease her regardless of the situation. Even now, after Yui had recapitulated the conversation of their hands together tenderly, the older girl was idly teasing her with the spinning action of the very red lollipop in her mouth.

How long Azusa would last against such purposeful torment, she didn't know. All she knew was that Yui's lips were looking wonderfully sweet and certainly her status with Yui would grant her adequate rights to access them. Certainly she could grab a hold of the candy and pull it from Yui's mouth, and then in the same deliberate movement, lock her lips around Yui's and make everything official.

"Azunyan..." Yui began with a hedonistic tone that was strikingly lacking innocence. She put the lollipop back in her mouth and stopped in her tracks, the shade of a nearby tree casting a mellow shadow across her face.

It was only a second later that Azusa had also come to a stop, and now as Yui turned to face her it suddenly became clear just how deliberate Yui intended to be. A sly smile had spread across Yui's face in the shadows, accented only with the brightly colored candy as it contrasted against her pale pink lips.

"Yui-sen..." Azusa started, but Yui was too fast. The moment Azusa had opened her lips, Yui had opened hers. The lollipop came flying out of the sugary recesses of Yui's mouth at a speed that rivaled an inter-regional bullet train, the translucent red of the confection catching a ray of sunshine in a blur of color. Before Azusa could react, before she could even process the situation, the shimmering red sweetness was upon her own lips, still warm and dripping with Yui's saliva as it entered her mouth.

Azusa wanted to explode. She wanted Yui to feel, to understand, to know. She wanted the shockwaves to travel through Yui's body like successive avalanches: thrilling her, scaring her, smothering her.

"I just wanted to share," Yui said anticlimactically, giggling with a cute smile that completely lacked the particularly sinister expression from only a moment before.

The guise of the sweet Yui had returned so quickly, Azusa almost wondered if it had been a dream. Or course, the lollipop in her mouth certainly was evidence that proved otherwise, and even though Yui had backtracked from the encounter with that innocent smile, Azusa's feelings in that moment had managed to take a step off into the deep end of desire. For every ounce of purity that Yui had regained, Azusa had lost three.

Azusa was ready pounce.

"That look on your face is amazing, Azunyan," Yui commented softly, teasingly. She pulled the lollipop from Azusa's mouth and stuck it back in her own, twirling the candy around once more. A wet popping sound later she removed it, and with a belying smile she added, "Come and get it!"

Yui was off, dashing down the sidewalk at a run. Azusa, momentarily stunned by Yui's erratic behavior, pursued at an ever faster run. Perhaps if her heart hadn't been wrapped up in Yui in that moment, she would have thanked herself for actually trying during PE. She would have been thankful that Yui wasn't the greatest runner as well. But it didn't matter.

The heels of Yui's shoes licked the air in front of Azusa mockingly as she closed the distance. The meters ticked down, and before Azusa had the mind to realize where they had headed, she had caught up to Yui.

Arms wrapped around Yui, and the older girl slowed her run to a standstill in defeat, breathing heavily with lollipop still in hand. Azusa squeezed Yui tightly, entrapping her arms and leaning against her as she caught her breath.

"Azu... nyan..." Yui sputtered softly between inhales. She fidgeted in Azusa's grasp, wiggling cutely as Azusa loosened her hold. Yui turned around to face Azusa. "You... caught me..."

Without a thought, Azusa's lips closed the distance with Yui's, locking with the crimson tinged softness that Yui had teased her with for so long. The lollipop fell to the ground from Yui's hand, but neither girl seemed to have noticed.

Azusa pressed in deliberately, her cheeks brushing against Yui's as they burned red, her hands pulling Yui impossibly closer. The scent of the lollipop filled her nose, and the taste of it on Yui's lips provoked her to reposition for another kiss. A deeper kiss.

This time she savored Yui's lower lip, sucking the sugar from it greedily as her prey began to whimper and fidget. Time and space was lost to the void of disregard. None of it mattered. None of it could be felt. All Azusa could feel was Yui's body against hers, and the raging emotions erupting from within like Mt. Saint Helens on a really heavy day.

Yui managed to back away from the kiss, breathing heavily and leaning into Azusa with a glassy, disbelieving stare. She lacked words. Noticing that it was safe and that Azusa had realized she needed to breathe, Yui rested her own head on Azusa's shoulder and closed her moist eyes.

For several moments there was no movement or sound besides the breathing of both girls as they regained their winds. Azusa's mind was strangely relaxed in the pure bliss that she felt running through her body. There was a wonderful feeling associated with finally sharing a kiss with the person she desired so much. It had been her first, and no number of romances could have told her what it would be like. In retrospect, she was quite happy it happened suddenly. In those same romances she had seen some rather shy kisses that left one feeling remorseful and regretting. There was no way she ever wanted her first kiss to be something like that.

A curious vibrating sensation could be felt against Azusa's stomach, and she peered down to see that Yui's small satchel was the source.

"Oh," Yui said at last, realizing her cellphone was ringing. She let go of Azusa and pulled her phone from the confines of the small bag quickly, pressing the appropriate button to accept the phone call. "Umm, hello?"

Azusa gazed on as Yui conversed on the phone with what sounded like her sister. She considered what time it possibly was. Surely they had spent the better part of the day together. It was disheartening to think that Yui had to probably leave now, but Azusa was certain the pleasant memories of their time that day would last until their next afternoon together.

Hearing Yui say her goodbyes after only a few short moments, Azusa turned her attention back to the girl. It was readily apparent that Yui had shed a tear, but when... Azusa was not sure. She hadn't really been paying attention since she devoured Yui's lips.

"Yui-senpai..." Azusa began to ask, but Yui interrupted her with a hug.

"That was Ui, I need to be home for dinner and some packing," Yui explained, letting Azusa go and taking a step back. "We don't have to run today though..."

"Oh?" Azusa asked, interested in the possibilities of another kiss. It sounded as if Yui was walking her home again today, so perhaps the date wasn't over quite yet.

"Yeah, Ui got mad at me last time for running in the dark."

...o.o.o.o...

_**My First: Chapter 6** is scheduled for September 14th._

Releases are being slowed down temporarily to help keep the quality of work high~

**Newsletter Notice:** Due to the number of people that I am now messaging on fanfiction-net regarding this fiction, I will only be sending newsletters to those that leave a review. However, newsletters are always posted with the Chapter Recap and Preview onto the website listed in my profile. They always contain juicy tidbits and I would definitely check them out!

_**Hungry for more? **_This story is being released concurrently with Hidamari Sketch: Sunshine!

**Know When This Storyline is Continued!** Add me to your favorite author or author alert list. You will also be able to track updates and releases for other fandoms. _I also post updates in my profile._

**Beta: **Kuchibiru


	7. Chapter 6

Long shadows stretched upon the ground as the sun finally began to disappear over the horizon. The warm afternoon had cooled off a little, and now a bit of a chilly breeze rustled about the branches and shrubs nearby. City life was slowly coming to a crawl as the quiet hours of evening arrived.

It had been a pleasant day, and Azusa was thankful for that. If not for the good weather, than certainly for the good company. Of course, the kiss she had shared with Yui was still lingering in her thoughts, and a part of her wanted to pull Yui aside and voraciously kiss her again. A part of her wanted to take the opportunity presented by being away from her home and indulge in Yui one last time before the day ended. One last time before she was in the neighborhood where everyone knew her, where her parents might see.

While Azusa could possibly guess how her parents would react to her new found relationship, she wasn't sure at all how the neighbors would. Perhaps their vision of her private life didn't actually matter, but it was a bit of a scary unknown just the same, and she certainly didn't know how open they were to the possibility that a lesbian stalked their streets chasing the local teenage girls.

The unknown could be a scary place, and yet... Azusa was certain the same exact unknown had given her immense pleasure as well. Especially today. There was a certain exciting element involved when it came to the unpredictable nature of her time with Yui, and up until this point it had rewarded her with happiness. There were perhaps a few lingering questions, but against the force of her feelings she had little power to give those questions mind or worry. This period of happiness would certainly continue by her nurturing, just like it already had.

"Oh, Azunyan," Yui started softly. Her voice sounded tired, though that could have been the effect of her hunger as well. She stepped closer to Azusa. "The candy in your hoodie pocket is for you, for later."

"Thank you, Yui-senpai," Azusa replied, smiling with a faint blush as her mind worked through the possibilities. She had forgotten about the extra candy, and although she normally didn't eat candy, certainly this hoard would be enjoyable. Certainly there would be another lollipop in the rather large pocket with which she could use to perv out later.

It had been a relatively quiet walk back to Azusa's house. Azusa felt that perhaps she could be speaking up more, but at the same time she was almost painfully aware that she had nothing to actually say. Everything that was running through her head was not exactly conversation material. You don't exactly ask your brand new girlfriend when you're going to first have sex, or when you're going to make out in a cafe bathroom stall, or what she likes about you...

"_Well, that isn't that bad of a question,"_ Azusa thought. _"It's not even a bad question at all. You're just being a coward."_

The late evening had been a little awkward, perhaps. Yui, who was normally energetic and bouncy, was actually more or less silent. Ever since Ui had called and interrupted their moment together, she had barely said a word. Azusa imagined that she might have embarrassed Yui with the kiss, and that notion was further reinforced when she considered the fact that she herself was definitely embarrassed by the kiss. Her ambitious move not thirty minutes ago would linger on as an anxious memory for some time, and she would perhaps doubt many times over whether it was right or wrong, whether Yui thought it was a good kiss or not.

She would do it again, though. Azusa would kiss Yui again and again, every and any chance she got. She was already planning how she would maneuver her lips, how she would unlock the secrets of Yui's mouth with her tongue like in the dirty pictures she saw occasionally... But it probably wasn't going to happen today. In just a few steps they would be on her street, and the opportunity would be gone. Azusa glanced to Yui, her eyes wide and hopeful. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe she could pluck fruit from the same vine twice in one day.

Taking Azusa's hand as if she knew what the younger girl was thinking about, Yui gazed sideways with a smile. There would be no kiss.

Azusa still smiled, however. At the very least, holding hands with Yui was permissible until they said their goodbyes for the evening. Many times in the past Yui had openly shown similar affection for her in this very neighborhood, and there had never been any grief for it. Additionally, Azusa could pass it off as a Yui-ism if it ever came down to needing to defend herself. She could pass it off as long as she didn't try to eat Yui's face off. She was sure she would get in trouble for that regardless of whether Yui was a girl or not.

It wasn't long before they were in front of Azusa's home. They stopped just outside of the front door, turning to face each other. It was readily apparent that something was still going through Yui's mind, but Azusa didn't feel comfortable asking. Perhaps Yui would share her thoughts when she was ready.

"Well, I guess..." Azusa started, gazing into Yui's rapturous eyes. She wasn't sure what to say, and asking Yui to stay a little bit longer was unfortunately out of the question. Asking Yui anything of that afternoon was probably not the best. Maybe she could finagle a few extra seconds with drawn out words, but as for conversational topics... They were still in short supply.

"Azunyan, you're cute. Stop thinking," Yui said gently, letting go of Azusa's hand and giving her a hug. "You'll worry yourself sick."

"What do you mean?" Azusa asked curiously. Suddenly, it seemed that Yui knew something about her that she didn't, and Azusa couldn't particularly place it no matter how many possibilities raced through her mind in that moment. Just because Yui was a year older than her certainly wasn't an explanation for some immense additional obscure wisdom, either.

"I just know," Yui replied shortly, letting Azusa go and stepping back. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"When do you think?"

"I'm not sure," Yui explained, "I need to see what I have to do. School starts soon and all. Anyways Azunyan, I should probably hurry. Bye bye!"

Yui began to step away.

"Okay, bye Yui-senpai!" Azusa called back. Yui smiled, disappearing from view soon afterwards at a fast pace towards her own home.

"Well, then."

The goodbyes had begun and ended so quickly.

Azusa stuck her hands into the pocket of her hoodie idly, only to be quickly reminded that Yui had given her the leftover candy. Feeling around, she found one that was likely a lollipop and removed it from the pocket. She rolled it around in her fingers, staring at it.

It was curious how such an item suddenly excited her.

...o.o.o.o...

"I'm home!" Yui exclaimed.

Ui heard the door shut behind her sister amidst the clattering of cookware. She had been fishing around for an extra pot that she knew was somewhere in the kitchen, but she had yet to find it. Removing her head from the dark recesses of the floor level cabinet, she spotted her sister.

"Ah, Onee-chan, welcome back," Ui said as she spotted Yui, closing the cabinet door in defeat. "How was your afternoon?"

Yui giggled oddly and brought her hand to the back of her head, "Well..."

"Did you have a nice time? You didn't spoil dinner did you?" Ui asked with a smile as she took a step towards the stove. "Dinner is ready too, and I made some cookies. They should still be warm for dessert."

"I wasn't too bad..." Yui began, wiggling slightly as she stared at her sister with a silly grin. "Just a lollipop. I even gave the rest of the candy to Azunyan. I'm sure she'll eat it all! She always goes all gaga when I feed her cake."

"I suppose that's not too bad then." Ui removed a few dishes from a cabinet near the stove and set them down. "Azusa-chan is probably enjoying the attention, but are you going to spend time with the rest of your friends?"

"Eh, well..." Yui leaned against the counter and gazed at the ceiling, "I guess they have all been busy."

"You should spend time with all your friends," Ui replied, gazing at her sister for a moment before she divided the meal into bowls. "Now that I think about it, Ritsu-senpai even called for you today. She said she called your phone but you never picked up."

"No way!" Yui fumbled for her cellphone and looked through the call history. "No way!"

Ui sighed. It worried her that Yui sometimes missed phone calls, and even though Yui had never missed one of her calls... She didn't want to be put in that situation, especially should the need to reach Yui be dire.

"That's kind of worrisome, you know," Ui scolded as she placed the bowls on a serving tray.

"It'll be okay!" Yui promised, returning her attention to Ui. "Ritsu will understand. I was just busy."

"You didn't actually tell me what you did today, besides going to a candy store. And now that I think about it, you never told me what you did with Azusa-chan a couple days ago, either. I know you went for ice cream, but... There is more to your outings than sweets, right?" Ui lifted the serving tray and began to leave the kitchen.

Yui didn't immediately reply to her sister's directed question. She followed silently behind her into the living room and stood near the edge of the table. Ui set the dinner upon it and sat down.

"Onee-chan?" Ui asked, looking up to her sister with a mixed expression. It was uncommon for Yui to suddenly be so quiet after what seemed like such an eventful afternoon. Perhaps she had asked a bad question? Did Azusa and Yui have a fight? Was the candy a pacifier?

Yui had a way with pacifying Azusa with sweets, in any case.

"Dinner is nice..." Yui replied at last, sitting down at the table and tucking her feet behind her. She picked up her chopsticks and stirred the contents of the bowl to find a varied assortment of fish and vegetables in the savory smelling stock. "Ui always makes nice dinners."

Avoiding the question it was, then.

"Thank you, though I didn't make very much tonight," Ui replied, and as an afterthought added, "We'll have to eat cookies together if it's not enough, right?"

"Absolutely!" Yui exclaimed, selecting a tender shrimp from her bowl and eating it. A happy expression spread across her face.

"_There is something on her mind and she doesn't want to share." _Ui thought to herself, thoughtfully chewing a bite of her own dinner. It was readily apparent that something was going on in Yui's life that she didn't know about it, and Ui recognized this because it was very rare for Yui to not be straightforward during their conversations. In the past there had been a few times when Yui had been quiet about a subject, and over the years Ui had become accustomed to handling the situation and understanding her sister even when Yui wasn't particularly speaking properly.

"How is Azusa-chan?" Ui asked, "I haven't seen her since school got out for break."

"Oh, well..." Yui cast about for an answer, "She's happy. She promised to come visit me at school as often as she could."

"That would be nice of her, are her parents going to let her visit?" Ui replied questioningly.

"She promised!" Yui answered with resolution and a slight pouting face as she devoured a rather large morsel.

Thoughts of Azusa temporarily aside, Ui stared at her bowl. The subject of college was still weighing on her mind. _"Onee-chan doesn't know I want to go to the same college as her... But isn't it obvious? I should just tell her, right? But Nodoka-senpai said... Would it be more troublesome if I told her now? Especially since she is being distant with me?"_

"Ricchan and Mio-chan have been spending a lot of time together, you know. They're so lucky," Yui said softly, glancing at Ui. "They are going to the same school, did you know that Ui?"

Ui was pulled from her train of thought, and she stared at Yui for a moment as the words settled into her thoughts like falling leaves into an intricate pattern on the ground.

"Wait, Ritsu-senpai and Mio-senpai?" Ui asked curiously.

Yui nodded. "Aren't they lucky? I mean, it's not like an extraordinary school, or anything..."

"Even the best of friends don't usually go to the same college. It's usually difficult to both be accepted..." Ui added, her mind working furiously as she drew a parallel to her current situation. She didn't know very much about Ritsu and Mio, except for the fact that they had been childhood friends and had remained close over the years. Certainly there was the possibility that... Maybe... "They aren't... a couple or anything, are they?"

Yui snorted mid-swallow, and broth erupted from her nose. Somehow Ui imagined that she should have expected as such, and she smiled reflexively to herself. She pulled a handkerchief from the apron she still wore and sidled up to her sister, whom was now coughing with tears in her eyes. "Onee-chan, come here."

Yui leaned into Ui's shoulder as a mixture of mucus and soup dripped from her face and onto her clothes. Ui wrapped an arm around Yui's backside, and with her free hand she began to wipe away the mess on her sister's face.

"Sorry, Ui..." Yui said quietly after she had stopped coughing, closing her eyes as Ui brought the soft cloth up to wipe around her nose. She relaxed into her sister's embrace.

"No no, I didn't think it would be that shocking..." Ui explained, dabbing at her sister's closed eyes. "Well, I hope it wasn't shocking because..."

"Ui..." Yui interrupted.

"What is it, Onee-chan?"

"Azunyan... wants to be my girlfriend," Yui admitted softly, wrapping an arm around her sister and drawing closer.

The movement of the handkerchief across Yui's face paused momentarily as the words suddenly made sense to Ui. An explanation for Yui's actions and personality that evening was suddenly clear to Ui, but she didn't know how to react. She didn't know how much the explanation accounted for her sister's distress, either. All she knew... All she knew at that point...

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ui asked mechanically as Yui sunk into her arms further. "This happened a couple days ago, didn't it? Is that why you were quiet that night too?" Ui found that the questions came easily. For all her ability to understand her sister, she had missed this. She had not expected this. Perhaps for this, expectation was never in her repertoire of reactions.

"I don't know," Yui started, sniffling.

"_She's crying!" _Ui looked down at her sister to find that she was definitely beginning to cry. Suddenly Ui couldn't worry about the prior topics of the conversation. Suddenly it was impossible to think straight, and impossible to worry that she wasn't paying enough attention to her sister. Yui cried so rarely that Ui didn't have a formal plan for coping with it, not to mention it was horribly upsetting. The last thing Ui wanted was for Yui to be sad.

"Onee-chan..." Ui whispered, letting the handkerchief drop from her grasp so she could hold her sister with both arms.

Concerned that she had pressed her sister too fast, Ui ended up lacking anything more to say. She was certain that her sister was confused, but at the same time found she had no good way of understanding the situation, and so the wordless seconds drew out into minutes. Still she had nothing to say or add to the conversation, and the only thing that she was sure of was that Yui's crying would stop as long as she held her.

That's the way it had always been.

The minutes passed by freely. Ui was certainly in no rush, and it didn't appear that Yui was either. Dinner was cold by now, but it wasn't paid any heed. Yui moved her face away from Ui's chest, rubbing her eyes until Ui had gathered the handkerchief back up and dabbed at Yui's tears.

"Ui..." Yui uttered softly, looking back up to gaze at her sister. She noticed a couple tears holding onto Ui's eyes and opened her mouth to say something more, but Ui interrupted her.

"You don't know, right?" Ui said, stroking Yui's ruffled hair. "You don't have to know right now, it's..."

"Why are you so good to me?" Yui asked suddenly. Her eyes were open and still moist from crying, watching Ui intently.

Ui gazed back at her sister's face. For everything she wanted to say in that moment, she found reason not to say it. Yui didn't need a history lesson about their family, she didn't need to be reminded about their childhood, she didn't need to be confused anymore than she already was. Not right now.

"I'm your sister and I care about you," Ui explained succinctly. "You're upset and nothing else matters right now."

"You're not mad at me?" Yui asked.

"Of course I'm not mad at you, you're being silly." Ui saved the question away for later analysis. "It sounds like something has been bothering you though, and when you want to share, I'll be here."

Several moments of quiet passed. Yui's stomach rumbled in hunger, but she didn't move.

"Onee-chan, you're hungry," Ui said softly, checking the temperature of Yui's dinner bowl. "Do you want me to warm your dinner up?"

"Don't go," Yui insisted selfishly, glancing at Ui.

Ui knew the expression well, and smiling in spite of the emotional pain she was feeling, leaned forward and lifted the dinner bowl from the table. Yui took hold of the bowl with her hands as Ui brought it over, sipping from it as Ui picked up the respective chopsticks from the table.

"Some things never change," Ui commented as she gently brought a morsel up to Yui's mouth. Ui gazed on as Yui closed her lips around the end of the chopsticks, closing her eyes and savoring the food even though it had substantially cooled down from sitting for so long.

There was something peaceful about the experience. Something wonderful. The wordless communication evoked feelings that Ui had treasured ever since she was little. There was something so magical about the exchange of goodness that even the burning worry in Ui's mind was forced away temporarily.

"Ui, your face is red," Yui mentioned with a silly grin and a giggle.

Ui hadn't even noticed. Snapping out of her daze, Ui fetched another morsel from the bowl and fed it to Yui without a word. _"We don't need to make this complicated now, we seriously don't. Onee-chan is looking better, too."_

"Onee-chan, why don't you take a bath? Let's skip the packing tonight," Ui said simply, deftly ignoring her sister's earlier comment. "It would make you feel better, too."

"Ah, that's a good idea!" Yui exclaimed enthusiastically as she sipped again from her bowl. Ui fed her another bite, and Yui practically swallowed it whole in excitement. "Oh, but I want cookies and tea later!"

It was a relief to see that Yui was back in good spirits. Feeling that it was probably safe to let Yui go, Ui stood up. Her mind was already starting to race with the events of that evening, but she made no mention of it, and the expression on her face remained optimistic.

"Umm, Ui..." Yui began carefully, glancing cautiously up from her bowl, "Do you want to take a bath with me tonight? Pretty please!"

It was a tempting offer, and it had been a while since they had taken a bath together. Bath time had always been wonderful with her sister, too. Ui was silent for several moments as she considered the proposal. _ "Well, actually... Tonight might not be the best night for this..."_

"Onee-chan, I should really be taking care of chores since we are skipping packing tonight. Unless you want to pack with me?" Ui suggested needlessly. Yui would take a bath over a chore any day of the week.

"Is this because I..."

Ui didn't want to hear it. She wasn't ready to hear it.

"Bath. Now." Ui reiterated sternly.

Yui moaned and whimpered and flailed her way to a standing position, giving Ui an evil eye before making her way to the bathroom with the rest of her dinner.

"I better be getting cookies for this," Yui mumbled playfully.

...o.o.o.o...

_**My First: Chapter 7** is scheduled for September 28th._

_**Hungry for more? **_This story is being released concurrently with Hidamari Sketch: Sunshine!

**Know When This Storyline is Continued!** Add me to your favorite author or author alert list. You will also be able to track updates and releases for other fandoms. _I also post updates in my profile._

**Beta: **Kuchibiru


	8. Chapter 7

There was something pleasant and calming when it came to hearing the running water in the bathroom, and going beyond the fact that the sounds of flowing and splashing water were already soothing, there was a sense of nostalgia and togetherness that Ui had always closely associated with the sounds of bathing. Even now, even as she was mildly upset with her sister, even as her heart was torn, there was something warming and peaceful in the soft noises coming from the bathroom, and it seemed to affect Ui in basic ways that simple words could not.

Ever since their parents had started taking trips, which was about when Yui entered middle school, Ui had come to appreciate the quiet time with her sister. The increase in their time together had been substantial. It was because of this that Ui had noticed the calming effects of hearing her sister bathe, and while she had never really known why it was nice to hear, she imagined it was for the simple fact that Yui was home safe and sound. That Yui was probably enjoying herself, perhaps taking too much time in the bathroom as she lazed around in the water.

"She wants to bathe with me. Right..." Ui mumbled, fishing around once more in the cabinets for the pot she had been looking for before. There was no dire need to find the pot, but Ui had found the treasure hunt to be good at keeping her mind off of her sister's recent exploits, at least to a degree. Trying not to clatter the cookware around too much so she could hear the sounds emanating from the bathroom, Ui carefully stacked several pans to the side so she could peer to the back of the cabinet.

"_Well, it's not like there is anything wrong with bathing with your sister..." _Ui thought to herself, scooting back to let light from the kitchen into the dark recesses of the cabinet, only to find that she still couldn't see well enough. Ui stood with a sigh and walked across the kitchen to a drawer by the sink. Opening it she found a flashlight, and after checking to make sure that the batteries were still working, headed back to kneel by the open cabinet.

"_Well, Onee-chan is not exactly a normal sister. We've had plenty of time to figure that out." _Ui flicked on the flashlight and directed it towards the backside of the cabinet and peered around. _"I guess I'm not normal, either..."_

"Oh!" Ui exclaimed, noticing the handle of what seemed to be the lost pot. She had been pretty sure that the missing pot would be in this particular part of the kitchen, but considering how long ago it had last been used it made sense that it had been pushed aside. Feeling a small sense of accomplishment as she pushed aside thoughts of her sister temporarily, Ui set the flashlight down and leaned forward to crawl slightly into the cabinet. Waggling her hand out in front of her into the far corner, she grasped what must of been the handle and pulled the pot towards her.

"This would be..." Ui started, only to stop mid-sentence as she hit her head on the edge of the shelf above her.

The physical pain of the corner colliding with her skull was felt immediately, yet she had no words to express it. Her movement stopped momentarily, and only after the realization hit her that she had just been hurt, she retracted herself from the cabinet meekly.

It was hard to ignore the situation. It was hard to be in denial when Ui was surrounded by the despairing nature of her feelings. Even the simple tasks this evening were dangerous. Her eyes watered.

It wasn't the first tear to slide down her cheek that night, and certainly it wouldn't be the last. Ui glanced at the pot that she had worked so hard to find, resisting the urge to curse it. Resisting the urge to blame everything on it's dull metal surface and worn handle. Resisting the urge to simply forget the pot had ever existed.

"It's not Onee-chan's fault," Ui said quietly to herself as she sat somberly on the kitchen floor, hands and face filthy with the dust from the bottom of the cabinet. A fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks, but she made no move other than to grip the handle of the old pot tighter. _"If anything, it's my fault. My fault because I've always been easy on her. Because I've always let her do what she wants and rarely asked for anything."_

But that was a lie. Ui had always impressed upon her sister that she was the most important person in the world to her. That Yui was her happiness, her treasure. The one person she was protecting even if everything else faded away. The innocence she was protecting from the real world: a place of pain and fake love. Perhaps it was deeper than that, perhaps this was about her feelings too.

"_Of course it is," _Ui thought critically to herself, _"You didn't choose your parents, you didn't choose your sister. But we got put together like this and as far as feelings go, this is how it is. This is what you have to work with."_

Parents. Ui knew it would be best to ignore that facet of their lives for the time being, but she couldn't help but acknowledge how much they had upset her over the years. Every time they had done or said something unbefitting, Ui had kept her mouth closed like the good little kid on the corner of the block that always listened to their parents and always did what they were told. As for Yui... Yui's pathetic whimpers were never strong enough to really hit home with their parents that they were committing some grave mistake. That they failed as parents. Ui still loved them, Yui still loved them, but they had failed as parents like Ui was sure many adults had.

Now it was easier to just have them gone. To just be with Yui and manage the household on her own. To do the shopping, and the cleaning, and to make Yui's lunches everyday and small pots of tea on cold afternoons to share. These were her favorite things, and a part of her wanted to somehow reward her parents for being so horrible. For showing her what life could be like without them, and instead with just her sister. For giving her the power to lead that life.

"Well, everything is changing, isn't it?" Ui said to herself, standing up and wiping her face with a clean handkerchief from her apron. There was something strengthening about that thought: That change was finally upon the household. Change that was permanent and long-lasting because once Yui had gone to college, the chances of her living in the current household once more were really quite slim. And if Ui had anything to say about it, those chances were completely nonexistent.

Ui knew this like she knew many things beyond her years. Much of this owed to the fact that many years ago, Ui had discovered an inner strength in herself, one of resilience and tenderness. Of fortitude against bad winds, of spite in the face of cruelty. Around the time her sister had entered middle school, around the time their parents had begun to turn a blind eye to their futures, Ui had a discovered a new future by simple chance. A future that was full of all the wonderful things she cherished, one that would never hold doubt and malcontent. One where she was truly free.

She had discovered a love that was stronger than she was. It had overpowered her and had shaped her life. It had driven her to be the person she was now, and over the course of this journey she had fed on it. She had relished it. She had grown with it. With the love came responsibility, with knowing, with guidance... It happened suddenly, and before Ui had even noticed, it had taken away the simple girl she had been and replaced it with something else.

Something less innocent. Something stronger.

In her quest to understand such love it began to change her, and as she learned of its hold on everything in her life, she had put it to work. She had drawn on it for energy, for peace, for spiritual strength when everything was dark. She had taken the love and given it to every aspect of her life without regulation. However, this charity paled in comparison to that which she gave to her sister, for above all else, she had given her undying love to Yui. To the one person that would never turn her away.

Ui was sure that Yui understood this. She was sure that Yui understood her influence and what she was capable of. So why would she jeopardize it? Why would she allow Azusa's feelings and well-being to be brought onto an island surrounded by sharks, one that would only support two people?

"_Is Azusa-chan really that important to her?"_ Even though it was painful, it was only fair to consider it. Ui knew that they had become close over the last couple years, but never before had Azusa attempted to close the distance further and seek something beyond friendship. To wade through the waters and into the territory that Ui had exclusively held for years. _"Doesn't she deserve a chance?"_

The question collided with Ui's morals. Of all the conundrums of life, it was this one question, this one simple concept that made Ui wonder just how far she could acceptably go. How much could she affect her sister's life? How much influence on Yui's life was appropriate when, perhaps, Yui might be happy with... With someone else?

For all the turmoil that Ui felt, for all the grief that was running through her body... She could only answer: _"Yes. Yes Azusa-chan deserves a chance."_

Certainly she wasn't so egotistical to think that she was all her sister ever needed, right? Certainly she had to consider that perhaps Yui was tired of their games and childish love. Of their relationship that would perhaps never see the light of day, or even simply be acknowledged between them, and even then as something real and not some perverse fantasy. A fantasy that the rest of the world would probably see and laugh at.

"_Well, Onee-chan would never laugh at it," _Ui thought to herself as she glanced at the dinner dishes in the sink. They were still dirty and waiting to be cleaned. In her melancholy she had forgotten about the evening chores, forgotten the pot she held tightly in her hand. Sighing, she set the pot off to the side and began to fill the sink with water. She imagined she was probably calm enough to do the dishes without breaking them, though her head was still sore from hitting the shelving in the cabinet and it served as a reminder that she should probably take it easy. _"Onee-chan's opinion is really the only one that matters to me, anyways. The naysayers might as well be dust when she's around."_

There was something empowering about having her sister's opinions behind her. Something magical about Yui's way of making everything better, though of course, it had always been a major element in their relationship.

Ui managed a small smile: Yui was a bit of magic. Maybe a little wild, maybe a little unpredictable, but that was just part of being magical. _"You're a bit hopeless..."_

Unexpectedly, Ui felt her cellphone vibrating in her apron. She turned off the water that had been filling the sink and dried her hands before answering the call.

"Hello, this is Ui," she said simply.

"Ah, Ui-chan! Where's Yui?"

It sounded like Ritsu. Ui glanced at the small screen on her cellphone and confirmed that it was in fact Ritsu.

"Ah, Ritsu-san, is Onee-chan's phone not on or something?" Ui asked, curious.

"No! She's ignoring me! I called earlier remember? And then I called you, and you said she was busy and she would be home tonight and everything..." Ritsu began to ramble.

"Well, I told her you called... But, well..." Ui started to explain, but she wasn't sure how much to tell Ritsu. The complex web of issues that had arisen from her sister's new found closeness to Azusa was definitely something Ui wanted to stay out of as much as possible. "Onee-chan and I have been occupied."

"Yui is home though, right?" Ritsu pressed.

"Well, yea... She's in the bath right now..."

"Ohhh, let me talk to her!" Ritsu exclaimed excitedly. "I wanted to invite her and Azusa for lunch or something!"

Ui was suddenly assaulted with two notions. Firstly, she had to wonder if Ritsu already knew about Yui and Azusa's budding relationship. Certainly Ritsu and Azusa talked, right? How many people knew?

Ui sighed, the mere idea of people recognizing that her sister was with Azusa was painful.

"Ui-chan, bathroom? Please..." Ritsu begged again.

Ui only faintly heard Ritsu's voice. The second thought running through her mind was how appropriate it would be for her to enter the bathroom now that she was aware of a potentially dramatic love triangle. Now that her emotions were running rampant and she was doing everything in her power to give Yui a bit of space. Certainly seeing her sister's bare body would be immensely counter-productive in the present situation. Her sister might even take it the wrong way.

Ui's mind clicked into gear. She would have to sort this out another way.

"Oh, Ritsu-san, you want to get together with Onee-chan? You should have told me, I was telling her today that she should visit everyone before school starts," Ui explained, her voice level and exacting.

"Oh, really!" Ritsu replied excitedly. "When do you think she'll be free?"

"The day after tomorrow, up until about 5pm I would imagine," Ui said, making a mental note that the next week would be rather hectic as it was. "I'm not sure about Azusa-chan, but I'm sure she'll make time for Onee-chan."

"It's a date then!" Ritsu declared. "Mio is coming too!"

Ui was mostly certain at that point that Ritsu had heard from Azusa about the recent events, but she refrained from acknowledging it. It would have been disheartening to hear about their relationship from Ritsu rather than her own sister.

"What about Tsumugi-san?" Ui asked simply.

"Well, she's kind of out of the country..." Ritsu started, "Plus, it would be awkward for her since she's not dating anyone, right? I'm sure she'll find a nice girl one day!"

"I suppose that's true," Ui replied. Ritsu was pretty easy to get information out of. She practically volunteered it without even being asked. "Well, I will tell Onee-chan to message you and sort out the details, okay?"

"You're awesome, Ui-chan!" Ritsu said back happily. "Bye for now!"

"Have a nice night." Ui ended the call and set her cellphone back into the apron pocket. She stared at the sink full of dishes before her as the words of the conversation made circles in her thoughts. A smile managed to cross her face as she brought a dirty bowl into her hands.

"Everyone is gay then, right?" It was an amusing thought, however the reality of the situation was quite different. She had just arranged for a double-date that included her sister and she wouldn't be there. But it wasn't like anything was going to happen, and Yui would probably have a nice time, too.

"_Onee-chan can spend time with her friends a bit before she goes to school. Really, I can't imagine her just leaving all of a sudden and forgetting them," _ Ui thought to herself as she washed a pair of chopsticks. _ "She's probably trying to avoid them because it hurts, but that's seriously immature and I'm not going to let that happen regardless of what Azusa-chan is doing."_

Ui set a pair of chopsticks into the other sink and selected the pot from the evening's meal, feeling better now that her sister would be able to see her friends. It was rewarding to do something good for Yui, and it buoyed her spirits considerably even though she knew the demon in her heart was still lurking about, looking for an opportunity to be voiced. To be acknowledged.

"_Azusa-chan really isn't a bad girl, you can't hold this against her..." _Ui mused thoughtfully. She didn't want to hurt Azusa either, but it was painful to think that Azusa never considered the possibility of her own feelings for Yui. They had grown up together after all. _"Well of course she didn't. Onee-chan is family. Not to mention Onee-chan is a bit off-center lately."_

Ui blamed recent life changes for that, however. Ever since the last day of high school had ended, Yui had been particularly morose and physically needy. When Yui was her normal self, Ui could expect to go a day without having her sister hanging on her or tearing up, and now it didn't feel that way at all. Ui didn't particularly mind the extra attention, in fact she enjoyed it immensely, especially now that Azusa was in the picture... But it was not the Yui she knew, and she would have preferred the extra attention to be because Yui was happy, rather than sad.

Hearing the sound of the bathroom door opening, Ui was reminded of her earlier promise to her sister. She set the last dish she had washed on the counter to dry, then moved to fetch the tea kettle on the stove.

"Green tea sounds nice. These cookies would go with it, too."

It was after only a handful of minutes that the sink was cleared of dirty dishes, the tea was ready, and Ui had prepared a small plate of cookies for her and her sister to share. They were still a little warm, and Ui hoped that they would remain soft long enough for Yui to scarf a few down. There was nothing quite like fresh cookies.

"Onee-chan, cookies!" Ui called up the stairs. She didn't immediately hear a reply, and so assuming that Yui hadn't heard her, made her way up to Yui's door. It was cracked open slightly, and before Ui had even reached it Yui had spoken up.

"Okay! But can you bring them up here? Let's eat in my room!" Yui suggested.

Ui smiled, and while she wasn't keen on bringing food upstairs, it wouldn't hurt tonight. There was something cozy about Yui's room, and tonight felt like a good night to try to connect with her sister more. Ui also wondered how Yui was feeling after her bath, especially after the emotional dinner earlier. She turned around mid-step and went back to the kitchen to collect the tea and cookies.

"_You just can't resist her, can you." _It was almost funny. Ui sighed softly, taking the tray she had placed dessert on. She turned around and headed back to Yui's room. _"At least you finagled out of bathroom time with her."_

"Onee-chan, I'm back."

"Okay!" Yui replied energetically with a giggle.

Ui opened the door with a nudge of her elbow and made her way into Yui's room, only to abruptly stop at the sight of her sister. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. It took the very last thread of willpower Ui had to hold the tray in her hands upright, but that did nothing to stop the torrent of emotions washing over her. It did nothing to stop the crimson from spreading throughout her face.

Yui was naked on her bed, grinning at Ui mischievously like a twelve-year-old that had done something wrong but had thought it perfectly funny just the same. Her hair was down and still slightly wet from the recent bath, and there were several droplets of water scattered across her clear skin, glistening occasionally in the warm light emanating from the ceiling. Combined with a clear view of Yui's supple breasts, the ones that Ui had always loved for their warmth and cuteness... Ui's inner demon all but completely overwhelmed her. All but completely devoured every last ounce of sense and logic.

Ui didn't want her sense, she didn't want her logic. In that moment she wished it had really gone away, she wished it really didn't matter, she wished she could just be carefree and just let herself go. Let herself melt into every crevice of her sister and forget the world. Her body tingled with the energy she had fed on for so long, for the love she had nurtured for her sister over the years. Excitement made itself home in every last cell of her being, and with each passing moment logic slipped away, only to be replaced with an influx of desire.

She wanted Yui. She wanted all of Yui.

And maybe that was the ounce of wisdom that kept Ui from pouncing and devouring her sister in that moment. The thought that Yui wasn't all hers, that Yui was experimenting outside of their small circle, and that Yui shouldn't be so privileged as to twist Ui's heart in knots, even if it was out of confusion.

Yes, certainly Yui would have to wait until she wrestled her own inner demons into something resembling the responsibilities of a proper adult. It had been an on-going problem, but now... Now it involved Azusa, and it was completely inappropriate for Yui to masquerade about in this way.

"Onee-chan, clothes. Now." The words slipped from Ui's mouth sternly and unforgiving. So hard were they that Yui's face went blank for several moments as a deathly stillness settled in the room.

Yui looked away.

Ui's hands were trembling terribly even though her feet were firmly rooted to the floor, and the tea cups rattled on the tray precariously. To say she was upset was an understatement, but those feelings were nothing compared to the turmoil in her heart. Tears ran down her face, but it didn't matter.

The game was over. There never had been a game to begin with, and yet Yui had still lost it.

Moving after what had felt like an eternity, Yui gingerly grabbed the t-shirt that she had worn the night before from the floor. She slipped it on wordlessly, her face a mixture of expressions that Ui wished her sister had never come to need. Standing up with a wobble, Yui made her way to a pair of blue bottoms a couple feet from her that were also on the floor, and she began to pull them on slowly, shaking. Just as the bottoms reached the mid of Yui's upper thighs their ascension slowed considerably, and Yui glanced at her sister.

Tears were streaming down Yui's face now, dripping onto the floor freely.

Ui wanted to fade away. She wanted everything to just stop. She wanted a break from her heart and all the things it made her feel. But that wasn't going to happen, because what she most wanted, what she most desired... Was not existing right now. Her sister was miserable. Absolutely miserable, falling apart and wilting to the floor.

Ui was powerless; she couldn't bear to see her sister cry. She couldn't bear to see her sister so upset, so lost, so helpless. The tray of carefully prepared tea and delicate cookies haphazardly fell to the table in Yui's room, and Ui's arms were around her sister a moment later. She was still trembling, but at least... At least Yui knew she loved her. At least Yui knew she would never callously turn her away, no matter how difficult it was.

Leaning into Ui weakly, Yui sobbed, her arms dangling at her sides uselessly.

Pushing aside the frustration she had felt only moments before, Ui brought her head close to Yui's and nuzzled into her neck. Her own tears had not stopped, but they weren't important enough to be paid attention. The warmth of Yui against her, even in her current state, gave her courage to move forward, to make things better. It was the same courage that Ui had drawn on years ago during the first time their parents had taken a trip away from home.

Ui carefully held her sister with one hand as she pulled up her sister's pajama bottoms with the other, and as soon as that was accomplished she directed Yui to her bed, sitting her down gently. Ui followed immediately after, bringing her crying sister back into a tender embrace once more, and the minutes began to tick away.

By the time Yui had stopped crying, Ui's tears were already dry. Yui shifted to look at her sister, cautiously gazing up into Ui's eyes to find that they were still warm, still loving.

"Ui..." Yui started to say, mumbling slightly as she sniffled. "I wanted everything to be okay..."

Ui smiled wryly as hurt seeped from the holes in her heart.

"I know, Onee-chan. I know that better than anyone. You want everyone to be happy, don't you?" Ui replied, masking sadness from her voice deftly. Yui nodded, her fragrant hair brushing against Ui's face slightly.

"But," Ui began again poignantly, looking for a way to remain as neutral as possible, "You will only hurt people if you can't handle this like an adult."

"It's... It's confusing," Yui murmured.

"I know," Ui said, combing her fingers through Yui's hair gently. "You need to figure this out on your own though."

"Why can't you just tell me?" Yui asked quickly as she continued her gaze into Ui's eyes, feeding on their reassurance. "That would be easy!"

"Well," Ui stroked her fingers through Yui's hair again, "I have been telling you for years to think about people's feelings, and I think you do consider them, but... you need to consider how your actions affect everyone else too."

Yui closed her eyes for a moment and snuggled her head closer to Ui's chest. "Is this why you...?"

"Yes," Ui answered firmly. "At least one of us needs to be an adult."

Yui giggled sheepishly. "I know I'm bad at that."

"I like that part about you, Onee-chan. But for this, you can't do that anymore," Ui said, softly this time. It suddenly hit her that this moment with her sister was particularly tender, and she imagined that she would probably remember it for many years to come.

Yui fidgeted slightly as the neurons fired in her brain.

"Ui..." Yui started quietly before sitting up, turning her gaze back to Ui. "I'm going to try. Really, really hard!"

Ui smiled. It would be a rough ride still, but it was nice to know Yui was ready to do something different. She kissed Yui on the forehead sweetly, and then moved back to her original position to look at the tear-stained face of her sister.

"Onee-chan, I have faith in you," Ui replied sincerely, letting her fingers roam through Yui's hair once more. "Tea time, okay?"

"And cookies!" Yui exclaimed happily as Ui fetched the dessert and tea. She smiled playfully. "Hey, Ui... Umm, tonight, why don't you..."

"No. I'll be in my room tonight," Ui interjected. They had played this game before. Ui smiled at her sister as she sat back down next to her with the tray.

"You monster!" Yui mumbled as she scarfed a cookie down.

It was reassuring that they could still play childish games together.

...o.o.o.o...

_**My First is going on hiatus**  
Because of a recent sickness and an overload of work, My First will be on hiatus for approximately 4-6 weeks, though it may be longer depending on circumstances. Updates will be posted on the website in my profile. I'm sorry to leave off after such a critical chapter. Please forgive me for minor errors in the text. If you see any, please email me and they will be corrected in a revision. Chapter 6 is undergoing a revision at this moment as well._

_**Hungry for more? **_This story is being released concurrently with Hidamari Sketch: Sunshine!

**Know When This Storyline is Continued!** Add me to your favorite author or author alert list. You will also be able to track updates and releases for other fandoms. _I also post updates in my profile._

**Beta: **Kuchibiru


	9. Chapter 8

It was a relatively pleasant day, especially considering a rather large storm had passed through the night before and ravaged a few of the neighborhood trees. The air was cool but not bitter, and the Sun was mildly high in the clear blue sky. Everything still smelled refreshed from the rain.

Azusa was sure there was birds about, especially since winter was definitely coming to an end, but she couldn't see them. In lieu of not being able to see them, she tried to listen for them, but she soon found that hearing would do her no good: Ritsu was rather noisy.

"We are so going to the arcade today!" Ritsu exclaimed, resolution in her voice even though no one had specifically agreed on an adventure for the day.

"Yui isn't even here yet and you're deciding these things," Mio started to argue. She was of course the first to scold Ritsu for assuming everyone wanted to go to the arcade, but there was something different about her scolding that caught Azusa's attention right away. "You didn't even ask what I wanted to do!"

It was no secret that Ritsu and Mio had become closer since the end of high school, but to exactly what degree Azusa couldn't be sure. In her conversations with Yui over the last day or so, it seemed as though Yui knew less than she did. It could be argued that Yui didn't bother herself as much with the details of relationships, and perhaps the juicer details of Ritsu's and Mio's maturing relationship had simply slipped by her. Regardless, Azusa was sure that she was more aware of her seniors' status than her expressive senior.

The fact that Yui had been relatively out of contact lately was well known as well. Azusa had learned from Ritsu shortly after meeting up with her that it was Ui who arranged the present day's outing. Ritsu had gone on to explain that her first and third call to Yui went unanswered, and during her second and fourth she had called Ui instead. Ui had said her sister was busy and couldn't come to the phone over the course of the last phone call.

Azusa had inquired further after learning this, asking when it had happened. Ritsu had simply answered 'two days ago' and proceeded to unwrap a piece of gum from her pocket.

But two days ago was not just any day: Two days ago was the day of her first true kiss with Yui. With anyone, really. It was the first day when she had felt that significant ground had been crossed towards being the object of Yui's affection and desires.

"Azusa-chan, did you talk to Yui yet today?" Mio asked, curious as she glanced around the relatively still streets. "She said she'd be here at two, right?"

"Not really," Azusa answered, pulling out her cellphone to glance at the time. It was already a quarter past two, and at this rate they wouldn't be spending very much time together. "I'll send her a message."

"Yui is probably in some candy store buying lollipops," Ritsu suggested playfully.

Considering Yui's personality, Ritsu's guess as to the whereabouts of her peer were probably not that far off. Yet Ritsu's smart remark only managed to frustrate Mio, and while Azusa felt bad that Yui was holding things up for everyone, she secretly did want Yui to stop in a candy store and buy lollipops. Specifically the red ones.

Having rather slowly completed her message to Yui, Azusa dropped her phone back into her pocket.

"Azusa…" Ritsu began, her tone slightly pestering as she ignored Mio's expression, "Thinking about something nice, are we?"

Azusa looked away and took interest in the nearest signpost, having not realized that she was blushing. Ritsu laughed and sidled up to Mio.

"You're feisty today," Mio stated pointedly. She turned to Ritsu, eyeing the short-haired girl with a mixed expression of adoration and frustration.

"Well if that's a problem, I just need more Mio." Ritsu stated with a smirk. She wrapped an arm around Mio's shoulders, "Fill me up!"

Mio turned bright red, and all but short of completely removing Ritsu's arm from her body, turned away from the boisterous girl. There was a point when Ritsu was simply too much, too embarrassing. Azusa watched on out of curiosity, wondering how shy Yui actually was in public when it came to spending time with a romantic interest.

"_Well, that's pointless to think about,"_ Azusa thought to herself. She was definitely more shy than Yui. The only reason she actually managed to share a kiss with Yui the other day was because Yui had teased her beyond all sense and logic, and put in that perspective, Azusa was somewhat scared that further teasing might prompt her to take a course of action that she normally would not take.

Though that could be fun too, as long as she didn't get into trouble.

Azusa's phone emitted a short tune, and she pulled it back out of her pocket to see what the commotion was about.

"Oh, Yui-senpai said she's almost here. She also said she wants to go to the arcade." Azusa narrated, slipping the phone away and looking back up to her friends.

"You see! Arcade is a good idea!" Ritsu exclaimed, letting go of Mio completely and peering around for Yui.

"I didn't say it wasn't a good idea…" Mio replied dejectedly, furtively taking a small step closer to Ritsu. "I kind of like it too, but you should really ask for other people's…"

"I'm here!" Yui announced out of breath from several feet away as she rounded a corner and closed the last few steps between them. "Ui made me stay late to finish packing the manga I want to take."

Azusa eyed Yui hopefully, taking a step towards the heavily breathing girl.

"Ui-chan is demanding sometimes!" Ritsu commented, glancing at Mio with a disapproving face.

"It sounds like Yui wanted to bring those with her, Ritsu." Mio said back analytically. "They would have had to be packed anyways… And just what are you insinuating with that look!?"

Amidst the bickering, Azusa's gaze on Yui didn't falter. Yui, while out of breath, was dressed nicely. Her hair was in slight disarray, but Azusa could tell that care had been applied to it. Yui's eyes were soft, and her mouth was still open as she took in air.

"You look cute, Yui-senpai," Azusa said bashfully, maintaining her gaze on Yui even as red crept back into her cheeks.

Yui smiled and stepped over to Azusa with a bounce, giving her a hug as she giggled.

"Ui made me dress up nice," Yui admitted as she stepped away from Azusa, "But you look even cuter!"

"Mio, why don't you tell me that I look cute?" Ritsu pestered, and Azusa turned her attention to the bickering couple. "I mean, I know I dress kind of… strange sometimes, but really, I dress strange only for you!"

"I do tell you that you look cute, you're just too busy goofing off to notice!" Mio countered swiftly.

"And you never give me a hug on the sidewalk!" Ritsu continued, "It's like some land shark is going to come eat you if you hug me or something."

Mio's face turned ghastly.

"What land shark!?" Mio shrieked.

"You don't know about land sharks?" Ritsu asked, "Well… They are sharks, and they live underground. And they eat people. They just pop up through the sidewalk with big, pointy sharp teeth and devour people whole, and then they…"

"Nooo!" Mio continued, clinging to Ritsu while Yui and Azusa looked on.

"Land sharks aren't real," Azusa stated bluntly.

"They're real enough." Ritsu replied with a smirk, letting her arm find a place around Mio's waist. "And see, Mio isn't embarrassed anymore."

"This is amazingly twisted," Azusa said in a whisper, glancing back to Yui and wondering if there was a diabolical way to get Yui's hand in her own. At the same time however, Azusa was keenly aware that her predicament was quite unlike Ritsu's. She was instead placed in a position where she not only wanted Yui's attention, but she was also equally far too embarrassed to obtain it.

Simply asking Yui to hold her hand was, in this case, simply not diabolical enough. Azusa peered at Yui hopefully again, wondering if there was a spark of ambition in the older girl to take her hand, hold her, kiss her, or otherwise touch some part of her body in some meaningful way.

Yui really seemed like her normal self, however. She wore a carefree smile and her eyes were bright. Her fingers were wrapped around the straps of her cute day bag as it hung from her shoulders. Her skirt was thankfully not a school uniform piece, but it was slightly disheveled like Yui normally wore them.

The Yui that Azusa had become accustomed to since the start of her high school days was in full attendance, and while Azusa knew that Yui tended to be affectionate and physical on a regular basis in such a mood, Azusa wasn't happy that it had to remain as a random occurrence. Azusa was also equally unhappy with herself: She thought it was ridiculous to feel shy around Yui, but she couldn't help it. Even before she had gathered the courage to ask Yui to consider dating, she was shy around her senior, often in the strangest of circumstances.

There had also been a set of circumstances where Azusa had taken control of the situation as well, or at the very least gone along without feeling any bit shy or embarrassed. Many times Yui had dragged her along on various adventures, or gotten her involved in some distracting task, and the question of bashfulness never was raised, and so now it was particularly curious why Azusa seemed to have little or no control over how she felt. How it had become a game of Yui teasing her relentlessly before she was able to overcome the wall of doubt and be the aggressive protagonist she felt she was inside, and put in those words, it sounded as if Yui was the key instigator in just about all the major interaction that had occurred thus far.

"Azunyan, you're always so quiet lately…" Yui chided softly, taking Azusa's hand and leading her over to where Ritsu and Mio were waiting. "Come on, you said we were going to the arcade!"

Azusa just smiled happily.

"See, Mio, why can't you just be easy like that? It's not like it's the end of the world if you hold my hand." Ritsu stated simply as she pulled Mio closer. "It's not like anyone cares."

"I care…" Mio replied bashfully, looking away from Ritsu. "The last thing I need is a bunch of people staring at me."

"Mio, you're so popular though!" Yui pitched in, wiggling as the group began to make their way down the street, "And holding hands is cute too. Azunyan thinks so too! Right?"

"Well…" Azusa started, blushing as three sets of eyes turned towards her, "Yes."

The answer came easy for Azusa, but that was perhaps because everyone was expecting it. She inched closer to Yui and turned her gaze to the sidewalk.

"See! Mio you're just being difficult," Ritsu noted in a tone that was hardly accusatory. Clearly the logic that holding hands was cute was sufficient enough to vanquish any fears that Mio might have had.

"Fine, whatever." Mio replied, leaning into Ritsu. "Let's go to the arcade."

"I never took you to be such a sub…"

"We are not having this conversation right now!" Mio interjected loudly.

"Fine fine." Ritsu said, giving up and peering over at Azusa. Catching the eye of her lower classman, she winked, "We can talk about this later."

The walk to the arcade was relatively short, and the moment the group arrived, Yui and Ritsu bolted into the establishment excitedly. Having been left behind as they slowly made their way through the doors, Azusa turned to look at Mio hoping to find some reassurance, but she found little. Mio appeared just as off-center as she was.

"It would be great if Ritsu took me seriously." Mio confided to Azusa in a low voice, "But I guess right now that's selfish."

"What do you mean?" Azusa inquired further, not exactly following the conversation and wondering how it related to Yui running off without her. She stopped next to Mio.

"Ritsu has been dying to spend time with Yui ever since the school year ended, but Yui has always been too busy." Mio explained, looking up to watch as Ritsu and Yui bought tokens from a machine with silly grins on their faces. She smiled honestly to herself, "It would be selfish of me to stop that."

Azusa glanced at Yui. She did have to admit Yui seemed like she was happy and having a good time with her friend, but it didn't change the facts. It didn't change the pressing truth that seemed to be constantly lurking within her thoughts.

"I don't have much time left to spend with Yui-senpai," Azusa mumbled, turning her eyes down as a dose of reality hit home. Just a moment ago she would have never expected to be having a conversation with Mio. As it had happened, however, the squeamish black haired girl turned out to be a good person to talk to.

The realization that she barely had anyone to talk to about her new found relationship suddenly hit Azusa in that moment, and she found herself grateful for Mio's support even if it wasn't intentional. In reality, it wasn't like she could talk to her parents yet, and talking to Ritsu or Tsumugi seemed out of the question. Ritsu never took anything seriously, and Tsumugi was out of the country.

Well, perhaps she could have talked to Ui...

"_That would be too strange," _Azusa concluded quickly, the sudden anxiety of the thought washing over her uncomfortably. She didn't even know if Ui was aware yet of the budding relationship.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Azusa came to notice that Mio had yet to reply to her. She gazed back to Mio, her senior taking notice.

"I guess you're right," Mio replied, turning her attention back to Azusa as she noticed her. "Maybe things are easier on me because Ritsu and I are going to the same college. She's even spending the night tonight since my parents are out for the weekend."

"The night?" Azusa asked suddenly, thoughts floating through her mind at terribly fast speeds.

"Yea, why wouldn't she? We are girlfrie... girlfriends, you know..." Mio answered, slightly embarrassed. She looked away as red tinged her cheeks, but Azusa was too wrapped up in thought to notice.

"_We are girlfriends, aren't we..." _Azusa thought to herself, a smile spreading across her face, _"We should spend the night together. We definitely should spend the night together..."_

"You guys, come on!" Ritsu shouted over, waving her arm in the air as she stood in front of a driving game with Yui. She turned her attention back to the game and began to harass Yui for taking advantage of her. "That's not fair! You're supposed to wait for everyone to be ready before the game starts!"

"You beat me last game so I get a head start!" Yui countered, wiggling as she turned the wheel, emitting engine noises from her lips. "I win cake if you lose!"

"I'll steal your cake if I lose!"

Azusa watched on as her mind assembled a plot to sleep with Yui. Certainly she could manage to spend a night at Yui's house since their parents were never around, and Ui probably wouldn't mind either. She smiled, eyeing Yui greedily as her beloved senior shifted her body in various directions unnecessarily.

"This is our time to have fun together, Azusa. We might as well." Mio piped up, glancing at Azusa as she began to move towards the games.

Snapping out of her daydreams, Azusa nodded with a shy smile. She followed Mio over and found a place to stand close to Yui, watching her intently. Her mind began to drift back to the thoughts from just a moment ago, and before she could help herself, she was daydreaming again.

Ritsu was suddenly upset with Yui again, but the circumstances of the situation had floated past Azusa's consciousness like a cloud during a moonless night. All Azusa could see was the person in front of her. All Azusa could think about in that moment was quantifying her relationship with Yui by means of a sleepover. Certainly such a sleepover would involve kissing, among other things.

All the stories she had read went like that, at least.

* * *

Soooo... Kira here. I'm the author.

This chapter has been sitting in my documents for awhile and I thought I should post it. I feel bad about not continuing this story on a regular basis, but real life is more important right now. That said, I'd like to continue this story if there is suitable interest. I'd expect the writing style to change slightly since it's been so long, but the original story is still set in stone and I feel very inclined to finish it. Anyways, it will be at least a month or two before I can add another chapter so if I do update this story, it will be early next year.

As always, your feedback is appreciated.


End file.
